Twilight of the New Order
by Yonkou Susanowo
Summary: The Order of Jedi Lords has reigned supreme for over three thousand years. Now, at last, their choke hold on the galaxy is slipping. Out of the shadows, the twilight, heroes arise to free the galaxy, to challenge the shadows, and to serve the Force.
1. Prologue 1

**STAR WARS**

**Twilight of the New Order**

**The year is 3,618 Ascension Throne Republica (32 BBY). It has been 3,924 years since the Revanchist decisively defeated the Republic during the Battle of Rakata Prime, utterly destroying the fleet of Admiral Forn Dodonna and Jedi Master Vandar Tokare. Following this climatic battle, the Revanchist publicly proclaimed that Malak has never betrayed him, that it all was simply one more brilliant strategy to lull the Jedi and Republic into a sense of false security. With the return of the leader, the Revanchists swept through the remainder of Republic space, taking over all territory except a remnant space in the north sector of the galaxy after only one year (305 P-ATR; 3,955 BBY).**

**With the Republic all but vanquished, the Revanchist and his new Cabinet, set about transforming their new empire into a weapon aimed at the heart of the True Sith. While the Revanchist and his heirs focused all of their attention on the coming war with the descendents of Naga Sadow, the Jedi, exiled to Republic Remnant, took command of what remained of the Republic's forces. Doing away with most of the Republic's institutions, they transformed it into a Theocratic Dictatorship with the Grandmaster of the Jedi as the supreme ruler. The Grandmaster promised his people, both the Jedi and the Plebeians (as the non-force sensitives were now known) that the Republic would have its revenge. So, while the Revanchist Empire geared up to fight the Sith, the Republic Remnant and the Jedi geared up to fight whoever won the coming war…**

**In the year 31 P-ATR (Pre-Ascension Throne Republica/ 3,681 BBY), the Great Galactic War began. The Sith and Revanchists ignored the Republic and concentrated solely on each other. After twenty-eight years, the Revanchists, under orders from the Force, completed the destruction of the Sith Race and deported the Imperial Citizens all over the galaxy. The True Sith Empire was finally destroyed. Yet there was no peace for the war weary Revanchists. Almost immediately after the war, the Republic returned and began to tear huge chunks of territory from the Revanchists. The Revanchists responded in a curious manner. Instead of fighting another long, drawn out war with the Republic, the Revanchists retreated from all their possessions, going into hiding. The Jedi, who now were the true masters of the Republic, saw this as vindication of their New Order, so did the Plebeians. For the next 3,618 years, the Jedi would rule over the Republic with an iron hand. But, as with all dictatorships, their time would come to an end…**

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**3,618 ATR (32 BBY), Above Taris, Onboard the Obedience, Jedi Meditation Chamber**

Master Plo Koon looked at the gathering fleet with a deep, almost unbearable sadness. The Council had ignored him, again. Plo Koon was beginning to wonder why he even bothered. He, and he alone, was the sole member of the Jedi Council that did not have a pragmatic mindset to governing the galaxy. Unlike the rest of the masters, right and wrong mattered to him. He could not just place his desire to see justice done in a little box and shove it into a corner of his mind like the others could, and that was assuming the other masters even cared about justice to begin with.

This latest matter was the perfect example. The other Jedi Masters of the Council saw Taris' protestations about the latest round of taxes being heaped on them to help support the newly formed Holy Nubian Empire as dissent that needed to be crushed immediately and without mercy. To the Jedi, Taris was a troublesome world, a world constantly slighting the Jedi. The truth of the matter was that many of the Jedi, not just in the Council, but in the entire Order, were getting to be very touchy about slights, or perceived slights, to their authority. Ever since the Jedi Civil War, the Jedi had ruled the Republic, and ruled it in a way that no other group had ruled the galaxy since the Rakata. For all their talk about being an empire, the Revanchists were more republican then the Republic itself. The Jedi, scarred by the effects of the Jedi Civil War, had abandoned their morality in the pursuit of one goal, revenge. They had waited three hundred and five years before finally regaining Coruscant. The Jedi had then set about ruling the Republic. For a long time their rule was not protested by the Plebeians, all of the non-Force Sensatives. The Jedi had quickly won the Reunification War in the space of only three years, with only a handful of battles. In the Plebeians' minds, the Jedi were as close to gods as could be imagined.

Of course this mindset did not lest forever. Over time the Plebeians began to resent the fact that they had no political power, or many civil liberties. During the early years, however, the Plebeians did nothing about this besides protest a few times. The Grand Army of the Republic was staffed almost exclusively with Jedi Officers, and many of the enlisted soldiers owed their position to Jedi. Thus, the Plebeians found few ways that they could change the status quo. All of that changed with the coming of the New Sith Wars. This was a chaotic age, one in which a great deal of faith in the Jedi was eroded. The NSW lasted only fifty or so year, the Jedi successfully putting down any dissent before 2,600 ATR (1,050 BBY). Still, the war caused enough dissatisfaction that the Jedi found it prudent to reestablish the Senate, though with much weaker powers, and give the vote back to the most worthy of the Plebeians, the Patricians. The Jedi thought that the new Senate and the addition of the Patricians to the political elite would be the end of the reforms. But once the Jedi gave ground once, the Plebeians were relentless. Over the course of the next thousand years, the Jedi lost more and more of their political power, the Republic returning more and more to what it was before the Jedi Civil War, at least in a political sense. The sense of morality that the Republic once believed in was gone. The Plebeians were just as ruthless to the enemies, or supposed enemies, of the Republic as the Jedi Lords.

The last event that broke the Plebeians' confidence in the Jedi's ability to rule politically was the attempt by a rogue sect of Jedi to launch socialist revolution across the galaxy. The sect, known as the Sadducees, sought to accomplish this feat by destroying the Galactic Stock market, which was controlled by the Jedi Council on Economic Affairs. The attempt at a Galactic Socialist Revolution failed, but it did expose how much power the Jedi had in the economy, and how much the Stock Market was control by Coruscant. After this discovery, a number of small incidents occurred that led to a Galactic Depression. The Plebeians blamed the Jedi and thus began a decade long battle to finally oust the Jedi from political office. The battle dragged on for years, and so consumed the attention of the Jedi that when the Trade Federation blockaded Naboo, the Jedi Council only issued a mild protestation, its attention solely focused on the impending Senate vote. Because of the Jedi's lack of attention to the Naboo Crisis, Queen Amidala was defeated when she returned to Naboo, and the Trade Federation deported 90% of the Human population to Republic worlds.

The Naboo Crisis effectively solved the issue of the Jedi's political power, as a disgusted public and outraged Senate swept the Jedi out of office. In their place, the office of Supreme Chancellor was reinstated and Senator Palpatine, the former senator for Naboo, was easily elected Chancellor. Palpatine's fist act as Supreme Chancellor was to set aside several worlds across the galaxy as worlds for the exiles from Naboo. In the aftermath of defeat, the Nubian people swore revenge on the Trade Federation and began to rapidly militarize, with the support of many worlds in the Republic. The Nubians took the name, the Holy Nubian Empire, as their own, and elected Queen Amidala to be their Empress.

Thus, Plo Koon found himself back where he started in his musing. Taris, an ancient stronghold of Revanchism, was the metaphorical and literal punching bag of the Order of Jedi Lords. Revan and his army had successfully curtailed a Mandalorian invasion of the system, and in the subsequent years had managed to work out a deal in which a number of the planet's social problems had been solved. The numerous aliens of Taris adored Revan for his social work, the Human Elite adored him for saving their lives and property during the Mandalorian Wars. As a result, Taris would be a bastion of Revan all throughout the Jedi Civil War and the Great Galactic War. This feeling was only reinforced when the Jedi, in that last desperate year after their loss as the Battle of Rakata Prime, killed millions of Tarisians when they smuggled a number of pressure bombs onto the planet, effectively leveling planet and killing over 90% of the population. This act of mass murder was one of the final steps that forever stained the name of Jedi. Though Revan did not commit likewise destruction to the Jedi, the Tarsians remembered. They were one of the few worlds that the fought on after the collapse of the Revanchist Empire. The fighting there was furious, dragging on for years, even when the official government of Taris surrendered at the end of the Reunification War. Finally, the exhausted people of Taris surrendered, and forever afterward were taxed heavily. Plo Koon had heard estimates that 10% of the Republic's tax revenues came from Taris alone.

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, knowing that Taris would never be a willingly member of the Republic, continued that tradition, planning to take almost everything that Taris had, leaving only enough for the Tarisians to be able to find some kind of work. Taris, naturally, was outraged, particularly since they did not have a senator, and thus had no representation. This latest conflict between Taris and the central government also had additional issues attached to it. 1: The Jedi were humiliated by their loss of power in the political arena, and thus were ready, willing, and able to take all of their frustrations out on a perpetual enemy. 2: Jedi Intelligence had reported that the Tarisians had taken into their confidence two Sadducees, and had apparently elected them to be high leaders in the resistance. 3: The Jedi, and the Republic, needed to demonstrate that they were still the leaders of the galaxy, and this latest round of disobedience from Taris would not be tolerated. An armada had been dispatched to teach Taris a lesson, once and for all time. And finally, transmissions had been intercepted from the old Chrommel Sector, now the Free Trade Sector, indicating that the Trade Federation was willing to help Taris as long as Taris would join a new coalition called the Confederacy of Independent Systems for the Reduction of Central Government Power and for Free Trade. Taris had not given a definitive answer yet, but the Jedi Council felt it highly likely Taris would accept. What would happen after that was anyone's guess. The galaxy was only leaving the Great Galactic Depression that had been ushered in by the Sadducee's failed attempts at a Great Socialist Revolution. What would happen if the Trade Federation went to war with the Republic? No one wanted to find out, and so Taris would be conquered, again, and the wealth of its people stripped from them.

Or would it? Plo Koon felt a great unease about this mission. He did not know if any other Jedi felt the way he did (to ask questions such as that was exceedingly dangerous, especially in these turbulent days), but Plo Koon felt that the Jedi Order was marching to a pre-planned script. It wasn't anything big that had made him suspicious, just a lot of little things. For hundreds, thousands of years, the Jedi had been revered as near gods by the Plebeians. The Jedi had kept up this image using a combination of strength, force of arms, and an unparalleled propaganda machine and secret police force. Then suddenly, new ideas sprang up almost over night over a thousand different worlds. The Jedi were alarmed, and cracked down, but the ideas did not vanish. Then, only a few short years later, the New Sith Wars gave a great deal of strength to these ideas. Jedi power had been curbed, but nowhere near broken. Still, looking back, Plo Koon saw the decline, and saw that at each point of decline there was an incident, not a large one, but a very small one, almost imperceptible, but still there. Then came the Naboo Crisis. Why would the Trade Federation invade Naboo, it made no sense to Plo Koon or his padawan. But even more troubling was how quickly the Nubians, once exiled from Naboo had begun to militarize. The change happened overnight, literally. And Amidala… she was perhaps the most troubling. There was something wrong about her, something that Plo Koon could not place. His padawan felt it too, and loathed the Empress of the Nubians. And now, this invasion, which to Plo Koon seemed, almost, orchestrated. The Sadducees miraculously integrating themselves with the Tarsian, who were about the most ardent capitalists in the galaxy, was baffling. It was almost like that sport on a backwater world Plo Koon had visited in his youth with his master, Tyvokka. On the smallest continent of that plangent, at the western end, there was a region where a human would prance out into a stadium, take out a red sheet, and wave it in front of a large, four legged beast who would attempt to gore the human with its large horns. This is what the situation seems like to Plo Koon.

"We are that beast, and the Tarisians are the human with the bright red cape, enraging us, goading us to charge. Only, when we do, they pull out a vibrosword and cut our heads off…" He trails off as his senses his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, enter the chamber. She gives him a small bow, before proceeding over to him and sitting at his side. When she is seated, she glances up at him, and tilts her head, studying her master, the only being she considers her father. After a minute she speaks.

"Master, are you worried about our Nubian 'allies'?" Ashoka's eyes darken slightly at Nubian. Like her master, she finds the rapid militarization of a supposedly peaceful society disturbing, especially when it elected the leader who failed to protect their home world to the most powerful position in their society.

Plo Koon nods gravely, reaching out to the console in front of him and pressing a button. Instantly an image of Nubian starcraft appeared, along with an image of the Empress. The two study her and the newest Starfighter to roll off the assembly line for the Holy Nubian Empire. "A well crafted fighter." Plo Koon muses, wondering how the Nubians could produce something so deadly so quickly after their fall and exile from their homeworld. The only feasible answer, and the most troubling, was that the craft was nearing production status when the Trade Federation invaded. If that is the case, how deep do the lies of the Nubian society go?

"Indeed," Ahsoka agrees, adding, "but why reveal it now? What are the Nubians up too?"

Plo Koon wants to answer, but can't. His meditations have yielded no answers, only puzzling images of scared humanoids with fanatical hatred in their eyes. Try as he might to connect this vision to the current situation, Koon cannot. Not for the first time, Koon wonders if he should take Ahsoka and flee into the Unknown Regions, away from the Jedi and these endless conflicts. Before Koon could voice such an opinion to Ahsoka, the intercom buzzes, startling them. Reaching out and pressing the activation switch, Plo Koon addresses his caller. "This is Lord Koon, you may speak."

On the screen a young man stand at attention, dressed in the uniform of the Stalker Assassin. "My Lord, I am Lieutenant Trask Ulgo. By command of High Lord Windu, my squad and I are to assist you in your mission, the capture of the traitors." Plo Koon's heart clenches at both the name of the man and his uniform.

'_Stalker Assassin! Trask Ulgo! What is Windu thinking?'_ Plo Koon's mind races, trying to understand why he was assigned Stalker Assassins, the most dangerous of the troops under Jedi control, instead of the traditional Republic Comanandos. The ideas that come to mind are not pleasant.

Of course Plo Koon lets none of his anxiety show, not to Lieutenant Ulgo, and not to his padawan. "Very well Lieutenant. My apprentice and I will rendezvous with you in the hanger bay shortly." Ulgo bows, and the image dies. Koon, rising slowly, turns to Ahsoka. "Ahsoka, you have the list of contacts I gave you, the list of people you can trust?" Ahsoka, pale from the mere mention of the Stalker Assassin, nods. Sighing with relief, Plo Koon bends down and gathers her into his arms. Pressing her tightly against him, he murmurs, "If this is what I think it is, and my time has come, I want you to run. Run far, and run fast. Get off world if you can or stay hidden. No matter what, don't look back, don't stop, and always trust the Force. When everything else fails, and everyone turns their back on you, it is the Force that you can rely on. Do you understand?" Ahsoka nods, and Plo Koon remembers that she is only ten years old. _'Still a child, and already she may have a death sentence on her head. Force preserve us.'_

**

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Author's Note:

**Twilight of the New Order does not take place in the Imperial Era, as some might think, but in the last ten years before the Clone War. It, essentially, is the tale of Ahsoka and Anakin, of how they grow from apprentices to essentials players in galactic affairs. Twilight of the New Order is the first story in my Shadows of the Revanchists saga, the one that deals with the final fall of the Republic and the rise of Britannia and the other super powers. Here the ground work for the Galactic Civil War and the Yuuzhan Vong War is set. Things will be similar to the Star Wars Canon, but not very. As you have already noticed, something weird is happening to Naboo. I will explain that later. For now, this is Ahsoka's story. Well, I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions, leave a review or PM me and I will try to anwer them. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **


	2. Prologue 2

"**I don't care about ethics, Plo Koon! Taris has been a thorn in our side ever since the Jedi Covenant incident! Those savages are going to learn that WE ARE CIVILIZATION! WE ARE THE REPUBLIC! It is through US and US ALONE that law and order flows! You speak of the will of the Force? WE ARE THE FORCE AND OUR WILL WILL BE DONE!**

**High Lord Mace Windu to Jedi Councilor Plo Koon, shortly before Operation ****Quinctilius**

* * *

**Twilight of the New Order**

**Prologue 2**

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**ATR 3,618 (32 BBY), Revania, the capitol of Taris**

The ride down to Revania, the capitol building of Taris, is filled with an unspoken tension. Ahsoka knows the significance of the Stalker Assassins' presence just as much as her master. Her master, Plo Koon, is a leading member of the Reformist Faction of the Jedi. He, and a select few others in the Jedi High Council, have been warning Yoda and Windu about continuing to pursue the course that Order of Jedi Lords has been pursuing for over 3,618 years. Master Plo Koon and the Reformists sought to return the Order to the days before Revan, when the Jedi Code actually meant something, and that serving the Force was a Jedi's mission, not the glorification of the Order.

Therefore Master Plo Koon had been surprised when he was ordered to deal with the infiltration and assassination of the Sadducees that had allied themselves with the rebels, but saw nothing suspicious about it. Master Plo Koon may wish for the Jedi to change course in policy, but he has no love for the radical Sadducees. That all changed when Trask Ulgo the Hundredth reported for duty. It was a well known, if not openly discussed fact, that whenever a Jedi is given command of a squad of Stalker Assassins for the first time, they never return from their mission. The Order would give a very moving funeral for the deceased Jedi, and then promptly forget the Jedi ever existed.

The situation only grew more dire when one of the Trask Ulgo's were involved. Ever since the Jedi Civil War when Trask Ulgo the Loyal threw himself at Lord Brandon to keep the supposedly amnesiac Revan from being killed, the Ulgo family has served the Jedi Order. Ahsoka, in the most hidden part of her heart recalls the tale. The Jedi Order, after trying to wipe Revan's mind and failing (though they would remain oblivious to that fact for some time) had assigned Ensign Trask Ulgo to watch out over Revan. Ulgo, loyal to the Republic and the Jedi, obeyed. When Malak attacked the Endar Spire, the Hammerhead Class Cruiser Revan was stationed on, Trask Ulgo helped Revan fight his way to the bridge and just beyond when suddenly, Lord Brandon appeared in an adjacent room. Instead of waiting for five seconds before the malfunctioning door closed permanently, Trask Ulgo drew his sword, yelled at Revan to flee, and rushed into fight a man he knew he could not defeat just as the door closed behind in him a shower of sparks.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, Darth Malak had hacked into the Endar Spire's computer system and was watching his friend's progress through the ship, slicing through some mercenaries Malak had put in Revanchist uniforms so Revan wouldn't be killing his own troops. When Malak saw was Trask did, he was so overcome with mirth that he had Brandon spare Trask and take him prisoner. Brandon gets out before the Endar Spire explodes, and takes Trask to the Leviathan. Here Trask is imprisoned for the next few months while Malak tortures him … with the knowledge that Revan still leads the Revanchists and the Jedi are doomed. When Revan finally rejoins his forces after the battle of the Star Forge, he finds Trask, laughs until his sides hurt, and lets the Republic soldier go. Deeply humiliated, Trask journeys to Coruscant and makes his report to Master Vrook. Vrook, surprised by the depths of loyalty Trask exhibits, promotes him, and ensures that when the Jedi are defeated in P-ATR 305 (3,955 BBY), Trask lands on his feet. In gratitude, Trask pledges that his house will forever serve the Jedi.

Ninety Nine Trask Ulgos later, Trask Ulgo the Hundredth is the personal hit man of High Lord Mace Windu. Force-Sensitive, Trask Ulgo is the head of the Jedi's Stalker Assassin unit (they all look like Starkiller from Ultimate Sith Edition). Whenever he is dispatched with a squad of Stalker Assassin, the Jedi who is nominally in command will experience a very painful death. After recalling this part, Ahsoka turns her gaze to the man, and any mirth she felt at the memory of his ancestor's humiliation fades instantly. His eyes, so cold they rival absolute zero in frigidness, are fixed on her. He does not smirk, he does not leer, he does not give any expression. His face is entirely expressionless, and Ahsoka knows that to him, killing her and Master Plo Koon is no different then squashing a bug underneath the heel of his boot. Had he lived in a different age, he might have made a good Sith.

Thankfully the pilot activates the intercom then, informing Master Plo Koon and the rest of them that they were nearing the capitol building. Turning his attention away from Ahsoka, Ulgo converses with his Assassins. Breathing a bit easier now that those eyes aren't focused on her, Ahsoka takes a moment to center herself. Opening up to the Force, the first thing she notices is that they are completely alone. Ever since the Obedience, cloaked to ensure the surprise attack remained a surprise, had achieved high orbit above the Revania building, Ahsoka had noticed an unusual lack of activity around the planet. Across all the scanners and sensors she had access too, which was virtually everyone onboard the Obedience, there was no activity. All air traffic and space traffic had ceased, and the scanners could not detect any life on the planet below. It was almost as if Taris had become a ghost world, almost. There was only one area where the sensors had detected life, in the highest peak of the government building, Revania. So that was where Master Plo Koon and her, along with Ulgo and his Assassins, were headed in a cloaked LAAT.

What disturbs Ahsoka is that the closer they get to Revania, the brighter the life-force of the individuals inside seem. Now, only a mile or so from the building, Ahsoka is almost blinded by the power of those individuals. Ahsoka wonders if Trask Ulgo will compete his mission, or if the beings the Sadducees had allied themselves with would do it for him.

After another minute the LAAT lands on one of the many landing pads of the upper reaches of Revania. The occupants quickly disembark and the pilot takes the craft up to a safe distance, awaiting the extraction signal. But before he can make it very far, a blinding beam of light slices the craft in half, then in a flurry of movement dissects the LAAT before disappearing. The LAAT hangs in the air for a split second before the fuel ignites and the crafts vanishes in immense fireball. Down on the platform Master Plo Koon shakes his head, muttering somewhat sardonically, "So much for stealth." Beside him, Ahsoka thinks she sees Trask's face twitch, but she cannot be sure. In any event, Trask holds up his hand and the Stalker Assassins reactivate their stealth field generators, which had been knocked off by the explosion. Ahsoka and Plo Koon don't bother. There is no need for stealth now.

Making their way swiftly through the corridors of Revania, Ahsoka notices that the walls of the building seem more akin to those of a temple then those of a planetary government building. Filled with engravings and tapestries, Ahsoka is bombarded with iconic images, images of times in the past, times in the present, and times in the future. One image that is repeated over and over is that of a cube. Immense in proportion, the cube had a variety images in, ranging from sentients, places, and even whole galaxies. Yet, the final cube was the most interesting. In it are several galaxies, but outside are two Tortuga hands. Master Plo Koon stops, and turns his attention to the image. "The Cosmic Cube, all that ever was, all that is, and all that ever will be." He sounds, somewhat depressed by the statement. Turning away, Plo Koon starts to turn away and head toward the final door when Ahsoka has an idea. Sensing his Padawan's intention, Plo Koon stops and turns his attention back toward her.

"What do you see Master?" Ahsoka asks, wondering if she really should be asking it, what with Ulgo standing so close behind. One could never tell what might set him off….

Her master's answer is swift and abrupt. "Two Kel Door hands holding the Cosmic Cube." Behind her, Ahsoka almost hears an additional comment, but she can't be sure. It sounded like, "Only the Cube." It might have been Ulgo letting something slip, or it might not have. Either way, did the fact that Master Plo Koon saw something different then her mean something? Or was she just on edge from the threat of imminent death and the unusual feel of Revania?

Whatever the answer, Master Plo Koon does not give her time to find an answer. Stepping up to the last door, Plo Koon places his hand on the center symbol, that of the Cosmic Cube held in two Tortuga hands (or are they Kel Dor hands?). After a moment, the symbol lights up and sinks into the door. With a hiss, the door splits into three sections and a blinding light washes over the Jedi and their Stalker Assassin escorts. Though she is unable to see anything, Ahsoka clearly hears both Master Plo Koon and Ulgo's gasp and hiss of surprise.

"It can't be!" Ulgo cries out, enraged. Plo Koon, is silent, staring in incomprehension at the sight before him. The light finally fades and Ahsoka joins her master in bewilderment…

**The Varus, hyperspace, the same time**

High Lord Mace Windu is scowling, though to be honest there weren't many times when he isn't scowling. The crew of the Varis have learned long ago to approach him only with the urgent of news. If there is none, and he was not deigning to speak to them, they keep their mouths shut. They also keep their eyes glued to their screens at their stations, especially when High Lord Windu is conversing with other Jedi Lords. Right now, they keep all their senses locked up in their stations, for the only Jedi greater then High Lord Windu, Grandmaster Yoda, has contacted Windu and the two are conversing. Once, at the beginning of Windu's career, a junior officer had gotten curious abut what the Grandmaster wanted to speak with Windu about. Windu immediately knew of the officer's curiosity, and quickly killed him. Since then no one wanted to know Jedi business.

Standing in the center of the bridge, kneeling, Mace Windu converses with his master. "Grandmaster, I have felt a disturbance in the Force."

In front of him shimmers a larger than life version of Grandmaster Yoda's head. "Felt it too, have I. Ulgo, your right hand, fallen, he has."

Though Windu shows no outward emotion, inside he is a seething cauldron of rage and hate. Ulgo had been one of the few sentients in the galaxy he truly cared for, not least because the man was so good at what he did (killing anyone Windu told him too), and he and his family had shown such unconditional loyalty to the Jedi. The loss of Ulgo would be deeply mourned. Nevertheless, Windu cannot allow himself to be sidetracked by one man's death. He must press on, and finally bring the Tarisians under the heel of the Order. To do anything less would only continue the cycle of rebellion and disruption of the Jedi's authority. His head still lowered in deference, Windu continues, "In any event Grandmaster, we must launch the invasion. It does not matter if They are helping the Tarisians, my fleet is more than powerful enough to destroy the pitiful Tarisian Planetary Defense Force and enforce martial law. If we strike now, we may be able to catch those who took our greatest tool and destroyed him."

Yoda contemplates this, his attention withdrawing from Windu and looking into the Force, searching for the future in which the Jedi are victorious. To his consternation, all he sees are shadows. Returning his attention to Windu, Yoda gives his orders. "Go, you must. Kill all the Tarisians who resist, you will. Collect the money for the Holy Nubian Empire, and return."

Mace Windu arises, beats his hand against his breast, and bows his head once more. "Yes, my Master!" With that Yoda's image vanishes. Turning his attention to his crew, Windu begins barking out his orders. "Signal the rest of the Fleet. It is time for us to begin Operation Quinctilius," then, speaking more to himself than anyone else, "and make those barbarians pay for siding with Revan against us, the rightful guardians of civilization."

**Taris, Revania**

Before Master Plo Koon, Ahsoka, Ulgo, and the rest of the Stalker Assassins stand a group of ten humans, five males and five females. All wear ornate armor, with a few having, unique, devices grafted onto their flesh. But the physical appearance of each individual pales in comparison with their strength in the Force. Each member alone is as least as strong of Grandmaster Yoda. Together, their strength in the Force is like staring into an exploding Supernova.

"Traitors!" Ulgo screeches, drawing his blaster rifle and aiming at the man in the center. "DIE!" As one he and the Stalker Assassins fire their weapons. Both Plo Koon and Ahsoka are forced to dive out of the way or be cut down by powerful plasma.

"You idiot!" Plo Koon curses Ulgo as he rolls out of the way. "Your weapons won't have any effect! All you'll do is enrage them!" Rising swiftly, Plo Koon ignites his lightsaber, infusing it with defensive Force energy, and falling back into the hallway, with Ahsoka following his lead. As they back away, they watch in horror as Plo Koon's words come true. Instead of the blaster fire cutting down the infamous traitors to the Jedi Order, the plasma is only absorbed by the one in the middle, Hasroi Dislinja. Ulgo, quickly realizing that it is hopeless to use ranged weapons, discards his rifle and draws a sword. This particular sword is an alchemically reinforced version of the ancient Jedi blades, used during the Force Wars on Tython. The rest of the Stalker Assassins, seeing both the futility of their ranged attack and their leader's change in tactics, draw their own weapons and charge. They don't get within five feet of the traitors before they are all cut down by a supercharged blast of Force Lightning, generated by Riagork Yatlor. As one, all of the rank and file Stalker Assassins fall. Only Trask Ulgo the Hundredth continues on, supercharged Force Lightning destroying vital tissue and brain matter. By the time he reaches Hasroi, he is all but dead. Riagork lets his Lightning subside. No longer being electrocuted to death, Trask raises his sword, to the last doing his duty to the Order of Jedi Lords. Before he can complete the attack, Hasroi's arm shoots out, grabbing him by the neck and raising him up. From her position in the hallway, Ahsoka cannot hear what Hasroi says to Ulgo, and it is probably for the best. Whatever it is, Harsoi does not give Ulgo long to contemplate it before crushing his neck with a single hand. Ahsoka feels Trask Ulgo die, his spirit joining the Force, and she shudders.

"What are we going to do master?" Her voice is full of fear and trepidation. As any Jedi youngling, she had learned of the Traitors, a group of powerful Jedi Masters who refused to fight Xendor in the First Great Schism. After the war they were captured by the Jedi Council. For betraying the Jedi Order, they were sentenced to spend an eternity caught between life and death. Afterwards, the Traitors were stored on Ossus, then moved to the depths of the Jedi Temple when Exar Kun destroyed Ossus during the Great Sith War.

During the Fall of Coruscant, Revan's forces captured the Jedi Temple before the Council had the opportunity to relocate the Traitors to Bastion, the new capitol of the Republic. With great ceremony, Revan released the Traitors from the millennia long imprisonment. The Traitors then proceeded to decimate the remaining Jedi on Coruscant. Once the former capital of the Republic was securely in Revan's hands, he convinced the Traitors to return to their carbonite prisions, awaiting the day when the True Sith returned. So they did, and when the True Sith finally invaded three hundred years later, the Traitors were awoken and unleashed upon the Sith. It was the Traitors, Ahsoka knew, as much as anything else, that caused the complete and utter destruction of the Sith. Somehow, all those thousands of years spent in carbonite had not caused their connection to the Force to atrophy, but to strengthen. Still, the Great Galactic War was not easy, especially the last battle on Dromound Kaas. Even though the Traitors emerged victorious, thirty years of fighting had left them drained. When the Jedi conquered the Revanchist Empire, the Traitors did not flee with the rest of the Revanchists, but were recaptured by the Jedi. They were reincased in carbonite, but this time they were split up, buried on ten worlds that the Jedi transformed as Fortress Worlds, with legions of Jedi and loyal Plebeians who would guard the prisons holding the incased Traitors. The prisons were supposed to be impregnable, but obviously that was a fallacy as the Traitors stand before Ahsoka and her master.

Curiously, the Traitors make no move to assail the remaining Jedi. Instead, they offer a slight bow of the head, then start vanishing into the air. It is only then that Ahsoka realizes that the Traitors who stand before them aren't flesh and blood, but spirit. One by one the Traitors vanish, until only the leader, Hasroi Dislinja and the Lady of Darkness, Arania Kokum Av'nes, remain. Though he is masked, Ahsoka can feel Hasroi's grin. "Welcome General Plo Koon and Berserker Ahsoka Tano. I hope that that little man didn't cause you too much discomfort. If he did I apologize. As we are now we are limited in what we can do. It is only by the grace of the Force that we have escaped those prisons. Of course, we shall soon return to them, but not before you make it to your destination." He then starts to chuckle, obviously remember something from the past. He quickly shakes himself out of it. As he does Ahsoka can feel some of the mirth draining from him. "The road that you two must walk from this point is difficult and full of pain. If I could, I would walk it myself. There are too few Jedi who hear the Force as it is. Those that do should be treasured… but it is not my call to make. All I can do is continue to advocate for you in the Empire." He remembers something then. Turning around so that now his back is to them, he picks up a package. Chuckling now once more, he turns to Ahsoka and tosses it to her. She deftly catches it, and as she does the wrapping fades to reveal a beautiful katana. "Where you are going little one, your lightsaber won't help you. Use that blade for now." With that he to vanishes into thin air, but not before gesturing for them to continue on.

With Hasroi gone, all that remains is Arania. With a look of profound sorrow, she walks up to Ahsoka, kneels down, and embraces the young Tortuga. Bringing her mouth close to Ahsoka's ear she whispers, "Bogan desires your soul. I have pleaded with the Force to spare you, but your destiny will not be changed. Remember, even in the darkest pit, the Force will still call out to you." Then with that, she too vanishes.

Sighing, Master Plo Koon makes his way to the door at the other end of the chamber. Somewhat dazedly, Ahsoka follows. As they near the door Plo Koon turns to Ahsoka. "It seems that I was right in my earlier musings. There is a plan, an invisible hand at work. This world, this moment, this is the time when the Order of Jedi Lords is going to be shattered."

From beyond them a new voice booms. "Let it never be said that you are unwise, Master Plo Koon." For the second time in five minutes, Ahsoka and Plo Koon are blinded by an brilliant light. This time, no familiar faces await them on the other side, though the number of faces has increased. As Plo Koon and Ahsoka enter the final chamber, the chamber where Intelligence said the Tarisian Council was holed up with their Sadducees conspirators.

_'Obviously Intelligence dropped the ball here.'_ Plo Koon muses. _'Not only dropped the ball, but somehow ended up in the wrong playing field.'_

The voice that had spoken earlier booms once more, seemingly in response to Plo Koon's musings. "You are correct, for the second time, Master Plo Koon. Jedi Intelligence couldn't find its head even with a map and the assistance of the twenty professional doctors, much less discern the scope and breath of the Force's plans." The owner of the voice is yet another masked man, dressed in extreme formal wear along with a long cape. He is at the center of a crescent table with eleven other individuals. With a start Plo Koon recognizes who the masterminds of this rebellion are. The fact that two Fleet Admirals of Britannia are delivering a report to them only solidifies the knowledge in his mind. The masterminds of the Jedi attack on Taris is none other than the Knights of Britannia. Plo Koon shudders at the implications.

Unlike other states in the galaxy, the Britannians had built their culture in a … unique way. The Federated States of Britannia is a large empire located in the southeastern corner of the galaxy. For generations they were one of the two major power on the Rim, with only the Hutts as their major rival. The Federated States of Britannia predated the Republic by several thousand years, and was very active in fighting the Infinite Empire of the Rakata. After the fall of the Infinite Empire, Britannia would adopt an isolationist stance, only sending out colonist to various planets it wanted to bring into its empire. The few times the Republic and Britannia had fought, the Britannians had soundly defeated the Republic and the Jedi. There had been something of a reapproachment when Naga Sadow launched the Great Hyperspace War in P-ATR 1,045 (5,000 BBY). Still the Federated States of Britannia remained an independent empire until the Jedi Civil War when the Britannians flocked to Revan's banner. Their officer core, led by the Pan-Admiral, the Commander in Chief of The Federated States of Britannia Armed Forces, the Fleet Admirals Strategos and Tacticus, and the three Admirals had given Revan's already impressive army the boost it needed to accelerate his conquest of Republic Space. After the war, Britannia was integrated seamlessly into the new Revanchist Empire and served with distinction during the Great Galactic War.

After the Great Galactic War, the Britannians, using their impressive military and the elite Palace Guard, led by the Knights of Britannia, succeeded in providing enough of a deterrent to the resurgent Jedi Forces that Britannia's old borders were respected. Ever since ATR 0 (3,650 BBY), Britannia and the Republic have been in something of a Cold War. _'Now, it seems, the Cold War is heating up.'_ Plo Koon moans inside his mind.

One of the Fleet Admirals, Strategos, turns to regard Plo Koon. Fleet Admiral Strategos is a Yeti, a genetic cousin of the Wookiees, though far bulkier. He roars something in his language that Plo Koon can't quite decipher despite his time as Tyvokka's apprentice. The leader of the Knights of Britannia, Lord Zero, roars something back to Strategos who snorts in derision. Then the two Fleet Admirals finish conversing with the Knights of Britannia and without giving the two Jedi another glace, leave the room.

Once the two are gone, Lord Zero beckons Ahsoka and Plo Koon forward. "Come and sit, we have much to talk of." As if summoned by his words, two chairs materialize out of the air. With some trepidation, Ahsoka and Plo Koon take their seats. The Knights of Britannia are the fierst warriors that Britannia has. Unlike the military, they report directly to the King and lead the Palace Guard, though at least half of the Knights are permanently on military exercises, to ensure that their skills don't atrophy. Altogether, the Knights and their legions have enough firepower to storm the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and hold it for some time. With that thought fresh in both the Jedi's minds, they struggle to keep their fear under control. But Lord Zero is not here to intimidate them. With a gesture he summons a hologram that materializes between the Knights and the two Jedi. For a minute or two Ahsoka and Plo Koon are unsure what it is exactly. Then realization kicks in and Plo Koon nearly has a heart attack.

"It can't be." He stammers, "You couldn't have, its impossible!" Ahsoka is still oblivious to the true meaning of the hologram, but following her master's concern puts her hand closer to her lightsaber, which she is more familiar with then the katana slung over her back.

Lord Zero roars with laughter, and is soon joined by the others. "No, it is not impossible General Plo Koon. You forget, we have the Star Forge, but more importantly, We are on the Force's side." The man rises then and raises his arms up toward the heavens. "Even now, High Lord Mace Windu is walking into a trap. A trap that will begin the final countdown to the end of the Order of Jedi Lords, and I, Zero, Knight of Britannia, have the express honor of ushering in the new age!" Zero lowers his sights back to Plo Koon, and Ahsoka gets the impression that behind the mask, Zero is smirking. "Praise the Force for your last assignment as a member of the Jedi, Plo Koon. From now on, you will serve the Force as the Order that raised you is torn apart by the Hounds of Justice."

Ahsoka and Plo Koon suddenly feel the arrival of Windu and his fleet. For the subjugation of Taris and the occupation of it, High Lord Windu has come prepared. Out of the three million Jedi in active service, he has brought two hundred thousand Jedi Knights, with an additional five hundred thousand soldiers to capture and hold key positions all over the planet, which mainly are Revania and several sacred temples built by the Tarisians after the Jedi had unleashed pressure bombs on the planet. To the Tarisians, Revania and the temples are holy ground, and they will not damage them. So, if Windu can get his troops into those structures, the Tarisians will not put up a fight. It is a strategy that has worked in the past.

Which does not mean it will work now. Plo Koon knows that Windu will fail. He does not need the Force to see it, though the Force at that moment, grants him a vision of the future, and what a terrible future it is. So full of death and destruction, Plo Koon falls off his chair and weeps for his Order, the Order that ignored him, had inflicted so much misery on the galaxy, had tried to kill him not ten minutes ago, the Order that was the only family he knew.

Zero, whose heart is moved by compassion, walks around the table holding the Knights, and kneels down by Plo Koon. With a voice as tender as any he used when comforting his children he says, "The Force is your comforter, Plo Koon. In it you can rest. Though the Order will die, not all will be thrown into the fire. Your friends and allies, the Reformists will be spared. As will be your apprentice. But, if you must rest, and be spared the pain of the fleet's passing then so be it." Before Plo Koon can react, had he wanted to, Zero uses the Force to send Plo Koon to sleep, to spare him the pain. Rising, Zero gazes at Ahsoka who, though pale, still has herself under control. "And what of you little one? The Force has called you to a special path, but do you wish to avoid the pain of watching your family die at our hands like your master?" There is no accusation in his tone, only concern.

Though pale, Ahsoka shakes her head and points to Plo Koon who is resting on the floor. "He is my father. Shaak Ti is my older sister. Aayla Secura my aunt, Kit Fisto my uncle, along with all the other Reformist. Windu, and his ilk, they wanted to kill me and my father. I, I," here she stammers, but quickly gains control over herself, "I am the Force's servant. I, I will follow wherever it is the Force sends me."

From the table the Knight of Two speaks up for the first time. "I wonder Ahsoka Tano, will you ever take those words back?" But before Ahsoka can answer, the Knight of Two, Q-1, rises and walks out, along with several other Knights.

Zero, satisfied, returns to his seat and presses an intercom button, instantly connecting him to all of the Tarisian and Britannian ships hiding on the battlefield. "To all ships, this is Zero. You may begin the operation. May we be with the Force." With that said, Zero and the remaining Knights of Britannia, watch as the battle begins.

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**Author's Note:**

**Prologue 2 introduces some important characters, the Traitors (not their real name but I will reveal that later), and the Knights of Britannia. Now, this is something of a crossover fic, but mostly with a few ideas and characters. It is all based in the Star War universe. Anyway since I am sure this question will come up I will answer it now. In Canon, there were like 10,000 Jedi. Why is it so low? I could never quite figure that one out. In my story, the Jedi, who have already thrown ethics to the wind, breed Jedi. They take the most fertile members of their Order and mix and match sperm and egg. They have entire worlds dedicated to breeding Jedi. The three million, that is just the Active troops. There are also the Fortress World Jedi and another type that I will get into later. In any event, there are a lot of Jedi here, and that is how they have been able to control the Galaxy. That, and there hasn't been any major war since the Great Galactic War (the New Sith Wars lasted on fifty years or so here.) so there has been a complete and utter destruction of the Jedi every three hundred to a thousand years.**

**Reply to Reviewers**

**N-24-13: Don't worry, I will. Thank you for leaving a review.**

**Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay: I am glad that I did. I basically took the idea of Jedi Betrayal: The True Story of the Clone Wars and ran with it. All too often the Jedi are viewed as the good guys, but these are the guys who mind-wiped Revan, which really ticks me off. Anyway there still are a few good Jedi left in the Order, but like Plo Koon and Ahsoka they are going to be pulled out by the Knights of Britannia, the Revanchists, and the Force. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter will be my first big space battle.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **


	3. Prologue 3

"**Exsilium's work is the foundation for our current efforts. Because of the Jedi Council's treatment of him, he was able to see the truths about black holes and wormholes before anyone else. Even now, thousands of years after his death, much of our knowledge still stands directly on his shoulders. This test, if successful, will usher in a new era of defense systems."**

**Head Scientist at High Alamos Research Facility, somewhere in the galaxy, ATR 3,617 (33 BBY)

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**Twilight of the New Order**

**Prologue 3

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**ATR 3,618 (32 BBY), the region of space surrounding Taris**

For Ahsoka Tano, her life had recently taken a series of strange turns. Raised as a Jedi for most of her life, Ahsoka rejected Orthodox Jedi teachings, instead following her Master and his Reformist Faction, which sought to purify the Jedi of the dangerous mentalities that had been a part of the Order ever since Revan defeated them a year after the Battle of the Star Forge. This path, she knew right from the start, would most likely end in her death. All that the Jedi Council, save for those few Reformists, cared about was power. They were not in any mood to pay attention to the Reformists, especially since the thousand years since the end of the New Sith Wars had been so detrimental to the Order of Jedi Lords. Everywhere the Council turned oppositions was cropping up in the Plebeians, who historically had always backed the Jedi. To hear members of their own Order insist that they give up even more power, it only made the Council angry.

Shortly before ordering the attack on Taris, the Council had finally decided to act. She and her master, Plo Koon, were sentenced to be assassinated. They would die as soon as they killed the supposed rebel Sadducees who were offering their assistance to the Tarisian rebels. Their executioner, Trask Ulgo the Hundredth, was the merciless hit man of High Lord Mace Windu. Plo Koon had suspected as much, and it was confirmed when he was assigned the squad of Stalker Assassins. Her master had made up his mind then. He would sacrifice himself so his adopted daughter could escape. Only the Force intervened. Her master's life, and that of her own, was saved by the Traitors, ten excommunicated former Jedi who had walked away from the Order during the First Great Schism, back near the dawn of the Republic. To further muddle the situation, the two had been ushered into the chambers they had been led to believe contain the Tarisian Sepratist Council, only to find the Knights of Britannia, the personal guard of the King of Britannia, one of the most powerful men in the galaxy.

There the enigmatic leader of the Knights, Zero, the Knight of One, had proclaimed that a new age was drawing near, and after seeing the stress Plo Koon was under, mercifully put her master to sleep. Zero then offered to do the same for her, but Ahsoka refused. She had made a bold claim instead, one that caused the Knight of Two, Q-1, to question if she really could live up to it. The disturbing part of the matter is that Ahsoka is beginning to wonder if she had not stuck the proverbial foot in her mouth. Now that the immediate threat of death is not hanging over her head, Ahsoka finds herself uneasy about the Knights and the coming battle. She had heard rumors of the forces Windu is bringing with him, and they are staggering. For the conquest and occupation of Taris, Windu is bringing 44 Acclamator I-class assault ships, capable of carrying 200,000 fully equipped Jedi Knights, as well as 500,000 infantry troops. In addition to the 700,000 ground pounders, there would be 14,080 74-Z speeder bikes, 3520 LAAT Gunships, 2112 AT-TE walkers, and 1584 SPHA heavy artillery. To protect this massive fleet, Windu has an equal number of escorting Venator class Star Destroyers. The total numbers of men, machines, and expense invested in this endeavor is staggering. To think Windu would put so much effort into crushing a single planet…

As incomprehensible as Windu's actions are to Ahsoka, the Knights' actions are equally as strange. The Knights of Britannia are not worried at all. In fact, aside from Q-1, who seems to be distracted by some other matter, all the other Knights are going about this business as if it is routine. The Knight of Three, who gave the name Emerald Phoenix (an absolutely ridiculous name in Ahsoka's opinion) had taken her with him in some sort of shuttle and together they were observing the progress of the massive armada, which is slightly constrained in its movements by an asteroid field that orbits Taris. Still, it would not be long before the massive fleet completes the somewhat hazardous journey through the asteroid belt which serves as Taris' last natural defensive barrier. Once the armada has formed up, it will make a last sprint for Taris and begin the planetary assault.

And what forces can the Tarisians launch to meet this massive juggernaut of Jedi power? Ten capital ships, three of which are centuries old Hammerhead class cruisers. None of the capital ships stand a chance against a single Venator Class Star Destroyer, let alone 44 of them. Even without the Venator escort, the mass of Acclamators will be enough to overpower the feeble line of Hammerheads, Thranta, and Neo Thranta class capitals ships. When Ahsoka had points this out to Phoenix, he merely laughs and comments that "Divine Providence has guided us to this moment. The Force's judgment upon the Order of Jedi Lords will go down in history as a sign that what sentients propose, the Force disposes," and with that they lapse into silence.

Shortly thereafter, Phoenix's words come true…

**QCD Teutoburg**

Fleet Admiral Strategos checks the timer one last time before bellowing out, "Begin the operation!" Responding immediately, the bridge crew of Teutoburg execute a precise microjump, sending the QCD Teutoburg from its cloaked position on the far side of the solar system streaming through the field, and coming out just outside the field, right among the assembling armada. As the Teutoburg reverts to real space, it crashes into a hapless Venator. This would be a catastrophe for both vessels, except for two reasons. 1: The Teutoburg is the first in a special line of vessels, the Quantum Crystal Dreadnought. Its superstructure, with some exceptions was not constructed, but grown. The material is grown from was Quantum Crystal, a substance in which its sub-atomic particles are aliened together. Put simply, Quantum Crystals are indestructible since nothing can cut through them, or nearly. Only Anti-Matter can destroy QC, but fortunately for the Knights of Britannia, Anti-Matter weapons are exceedingly rare, almost non-existent. Should, however, an Anti-Mater weapon be deployed against the QCD line, they are equipped with certain defenses that render even a QCD impervious to Anti-Matter weapons. 2: The Teutoburg is several times larger then the Venator, and coupled with its ability to slice through anything save QC, the Teutoburg cuts the Venator in half before successfully decelerating. Seconds later, the Teutoburg's sister ship, the Rhine, plows through the asteroid field to cut the portion of the armada in the field in half. With the Teutoburg and the Rhine in place, the Jedi Armada is cut into thirds.

With the first part of the operation complete, the two Fleet Admirals, Strategos in Teutoburg, and Tacticus in Rhine, open a channel to every vessel within their range, which covers all of Taris and a good part of the solar system. "Fire at will, Commander."

Down in the launch bays of both the Teutoburg and the Rhine, the engineers launch two objects into outer space. If was one to look at the two objects with only the five conventional senses, one would not be impressed. The two objects are identical, big, red balls. There is nothing even remotely scary about them. Should, however, an observe use the Force, or to be more accurate, the Aether Field, they would see something entirely different. For inside the balls, is an immense, concentrated energy known as Aether. Aether, which is the life energy of the galaxy, has long been mistaken by both the Jedi and the Sith as being, "The Force". The truth is that Aether is not the Force. To compare Aether to the Force is to compare the energy output of an oil fire to that of a Fusion reactor, it is insulting for the Fusion Reactor to be mentioned even in the same sentence as the oil fire. The amount of energy that Aether gives off is nothing compared to that of the Force, especially in cleanliness. To use Aether is to poison one's body if it is used in any way that is not natural. Aether weakens the body's tissue and accelerates aging. The energy that the Force bestows on its children, however, heals the user and increases the lifespan. Of course, like the Fusion Reactor, the energy that the Force gives to its children can not be summoned anytime the user wants. The user must be in line with the will of the Force to use that energy. Aether, on the other hand, can be used anytime.

With that in mind, the engineers of Britannia discovered a way to harness Aether in a way that only the ancient Rakata had managed. Instead of having a single individual harness the power, machines were built that could collect Aether and store it. Since machines have no tissue, there is no danger to them by overexposing them to Aether. The principle problem after this breakthrough was how to maintain the Aether's power so it could perform the desired attack without have it become a toxic mist that would poison every living thing within its reach. As is the nature of things governed by the Force, the answer to that problem had arrived just as the Naboo Crisis was finishing. The engineers of Britannia just had enough time to complete some prototypes, test them, and then build the weapons themselves before they were needed for the operation.

The two Aether Bombs that are released for this operation are specialized weapons. The first is an anti-hyperspace interdiction field that stops travel in hyperspace within its boundaries. Depending on the Aether stored in the bomb, its range can be as small as the area of a capital ship to as large as a solar system. The second bomb is an anti-communication device, capable of cutting communications in its area. The same restrictions reply. Additionally, both bombs also cause minor electrical malfunctions in unshielded ships, creating the additional affect of short-circuiting many crucial Capital Ship systems for a time.

With these two bombs, in addition to the indestructible Teutoburg and Rhine, Fleet Admiral Tacticus has given the prediction that total combat time will not exceed one hour. The Fleet Admirals are rarely wrong in their predictions. So, with the launch of the two Aether Bombs, space erupts in a dazzling display of light…

**The Varis**

Mace Windu and his crew had not even managed to respond to appearance of the giant dreadnought in the center of their armada before the voices of the dreadnoughts' commanders echoed across all channels, "Fire at will, Commander."

"Captain!" Windu bellows at as alarms begin to sound, "Contact Grandmaster Yoda, inform him…" Just then space erupts in a dazzling display of light, and shockwaves. The Varis and all other ships in the vicinity of the blast are rocked by the wave of Aether that is released. Though the two bombs are not designed to incapacitate or kill Jedi, the sheer power of so much Aether in one place causes quite a few Jedi to die from Aether overdose, with many more wounded by Aether's presence. Worse hit are the ships closest to the blast, with ships farther away suffering progressively lesser causalities. Onboard the Varis, all Windu feels is a slight headache, nothing he can't push past. "Damage report! What did that light do to us?" His commands for answers directed to no one in particular.

Answers quickly come. "My Lord, communications with the Fleet are being jammed, most likely by one or both of the two explosions!"

Another voice cries out, "My Lord, structural damage to the Varis is nonexistent, though our electrical systems have been several damaged. Power flow from the generators to weapon, life support, shields and internal communication has been severely limited."

At this Windu responds. "Can we open the hanger bays? We must launch our fighters." Windu then reaches out with the Force, or Aether, to get in contact with his commanders on the other Venators and Acclamators. Unfortunately for him, the mass of Aether floating in and around the Fleet is interfering with his ability to successfully use Aether. For better or worse, each ship is on its own.

"My Lord, the hanger bays can be opened. Fighters are awaiting your co…" the current speaker is interrupted by a new set of klaxons.

"Enemy fighters are streaming up from the planet! Also, a large number of asteroids are moving this way. Scanners are shot to Chaos, but it seems that the enemy has substituted a large number of capital ships for asteroids. Make and model are currently unknown. Also, the Tarisian Planetary Defense Force is making its way to us at flank speed. They will be arriving here in ten minutes."

Before Windu can respond to this news, the Varis begins to shake as plasma blasts begin to hit it. "Chaos take this infernal planet!" Windu swears. Turning to one of the bridge crewmen, he asks, "You, do we still have visual?" The crewman nods, his training beginning to crack under pressure the military instructors at Carida never thought would be placed on him. "Then get me a visual of those dreadnoughts." Windu commands, trying to get his temper back under control. _'Focus, Mace, focus. Civilization won't be served if you lose it._' Breathing easier now, Windu waits for the report while his subalterns take care of other details. Working swiftly, the crewman Windu had last order brought up the image he had requested. What he saw made everyone on the bridge stop and stare in horror. The dreadnought that had dissected their lines was pouring out plasma at a prodigious rate. Already one Venator had nearly disintegrated from the concentrated volley of energy that was being poured out of the vessel. Farther down the line the second dreadnought was pounding the fleet with equal fervor. To make matters worse, Windu could see that his ships weren't just taking it, but fighting back, only their shots just bounced off the hull of the dreadnought. Even proton torpedoes exploded harmlessly on the surface, not even blackening the hull where they had hit.

"This can't be." Windu mutters, staggering back, "this can't be… how, how can this be happening." Windu's dazed state is cut off when a face appears on the screen. Apparently the Aether Bomb hadn't been perfected yet.

"Lord Windu, this is Gavyn Sykes, Aerospace Commander of the Holy Nubian Empire. Those dreadnoughts are tearing us to pieces, and unless we do something, we are going to be boxed in between them, the asteroids and the various warships heading in our directions."

There is a distinct tone in his voice, one that says, 'You have failed.' Mace narrows his eyes at Gavyn Sykes, grinding his teeth together in outrage, both at the tone, and the truth of the words. "Well Aerospace Commander, if you have an idea on how to deal with those dreadnoughts, I would love to hear it. With communications down, and the Force unusable, we will be lucky to make it out of here in one piece." Already the enemy warships are nearing the battlefield and tearing into the Venators. The Acclamators were being spare, their engines being shot out. Things wouldn't be as bad if they were in open space, but the Aether Bombs had caused a number of asteroids to begin slamming into the Republic Armada, which was having deadly consequences.

Gavyn Sykes smirks. "I will take care of the dreadnoughts. I will also pass the word along the line. We are retreating. The fleet is in no shape to invade Taris now, especially when we don't know what else the Taris Planetary Defense Force has up its sleeve." And it is now, for the first time, that Mace Windu begins to wonder about the Holy Nubian Empire, and about a great many things. But he has no time to devote to a prolong review of the sequence of events that have led up to this point. Gavyn Sykes is right. The fleet must be saved, if it can be saved.

"How will you take care of the dreadnoughts? They have extremely powerful shields." Windu questions Sykes, wondering what the HNE has up its sleeve. Sykes does not answer, only smirks and signs off. When he does, Windu allows himself a moment where he pushes out everything else but one question. 'What have we gotten ourselves into?'

**TS-MA4F Exus, Q-1**

Q-1 destroys another Torrent, snuffing out the life of one more blind, stupid follower of the Jedi. 'Why did it have to come to this?' She agonizes as she turns into a tail spin, leading her fighter squadron through the melee that is the Battle of Teutoburg Pass, or will be called that when everything is over. "Honestly," Q-1 mutters to herself as she destroys another Torrent, "that man (Zero) must be in control of everything, even the names of battles that haven't been won yet." She pauses to detach her four gun barrels, using Aether to guide them along the trajectory where they would do the most good. When they reach a predestined point, she pulls the trigger. Four plasma beams shoot out, and four more pilots are erased. "Though, I suppose," she murmurs as the gun barrels return to their birch atop, on the sides, and below her Exus, "it has a certain ring to it."

Over the comm. a loud and impetuous voice rings out, "Oh yeah! Our commander is smoking hot today! And I am not just talking about her looks!"

Another voice, this one only slightly more tempered then her friend's, rings out, "Q-1, why don't you leave us some Torrents to bag? Its not like you are going to lose your position as Knight of Two because you didn't completely decimate your enemies."

Before Q-1 can respond a third voice fills the comm. "Quiet among the ranks. This is not some simulation match. The enemies of the Force have gathered here. Our mission is to destroy them completely and utterly. If the Dragoness cannot control her brood, they will be disciplined by those who can." The stern and unyielding voice of Fleet Admiral Tacticus leaves silence in its wake. For a moment Q-1 contemplates issuing a countermanding order. After all, she is a Knight of Britannia, and a high ranking one at that. She reports directly to the King, unlike the Fleet Admiral. And, if push came to shove, she commanded greater respect in the armed forces then Tacticus did, since this was Tacticus' first mission as Fleet Admiral Tacticus. Her word would be obeyed over his each and every time. But her troops were out of line, and this was a serious matter. Additionally since this was Tacticus' first battle, he needed to establish himself as a strong commander in the eyes of the troops. That meant having his orders obeyed. If Q-1 countermanded his order, he would lose the respect of the troops, and be less effective. Besides, who was she to question an officer whom the Force had chosen? No, let her immature fighters be embarrassed by their outburst. It would do them some good. So Q-1 did not say a word, and the two loud mouths got the message.

The Britannian military was a strange one, especially when compared to the military of the Jedi. It was set up in a straightforward enough manner. The Pan-Admiral, or Commander in Chief, controlled all of the regular armed forces, Military Intelligence, the elite Spartan and Athenian special forces units, and the Popular Assault Guard units of the states. Below the Pan-Admiral were two Fleet Admirals. These Admirals were always Force Sensitive, and trained in two specialized versions of Battle Meditation. Fleet Admiral Strategos took the long view of warfare and conducted campaigns accordingly. Strategos would tell troops where to move, which systems to occupy, and where to fight. Fleet Admiral Tacticus, on the other hand, focused on individual battles. Tacticus' battle meditation could usually give Britannian forces victory in each and every battle because Tacticus could see everything on the battle. Tacticus would know where to move the troops, where to place artillery, and when to push forward. On occasion, Tacticus knew when to retreat. Below the Fleet Admirals were three Admirals, said to be the strongest fighters in the Armed Forces. They commanded all lower subordinates, and could operate on missions of their own. Their very names inspired confidence in the troops and fear in their adversaries. Below the Admirals are the Vice-Admirals. These control individual ships and are the highest position available to those who work their way up in the ranks. The positions of Pan-Admiral, Fleet Admiral, and Admiral cannot be gained through seniority or battlefield success. Only the Force can elect these officers.

On the other side of the Britannian military are the forces controlled by the King. The most notable is the Knights of Britannia. Composed of twelve individuals, these swear loyalty to the Force and King, instead of the Pan-Admiral. Each knight controls a legion of troops, known as the Palace Guard. Beyond the Knights there is Imperial Intelligence, a larger rival to Military Intelligence. The leader of II is Lord Zero. Under II, there exist two elite special forces units, the Sangheili Rangers and the Jiralhanae Brawlers. All in all, the structure works well, thought there is a little bit of tension between the two groups. It is times like these, when one side knows when to back down, that makes the system work.

Suddenly Q-1 receives a warning from the Force, diving out of the way as two new fighters streak past her. Quickly cross checking the outlines with the intelligence Zero had provided, she matches them as HNEAC Annihilators (they are the same ones Darth Krayt uses in Legacy: War). More disturbing is the energy signatures that her sensors pick up. What she finds is that they are not from any plasma based weapon, but anti-matter. Uttering a low curse, Ahsoka activates her comm. "Fleet Admirals Strategos and Tacticus, be warned that the new Holy Nubian Empire fighter is equipped with an Anti-Matter Pulse cannon. Most probable target is the Teutoburg."

There is only the briefest of pause before she gets her answer. "Information received, Knight of Two. Our defenses are prepped and ready, though it might be advantageous for you and your squad to intercept the fighters."

Checking her screen, Q-1 curses again as a swarm of older Nubian fighters converge with her. "Negative, Strategos. My squad is busy dealing with some fodder. I will take care of the two Annihilators myself." She makes sure the squad hears this last part before hitting her afterburners, rocketing forward and toward the two Annihilators. In seconds she catches up to the trailing fighter, and unleashes all of her cannons on him at once. The six beams converge, only to cause medium damage. The hit Annihilator peels off, limping back to the HNE mothership. Though the Force, Q-1 hears a dark chuckle.

**{Well done, Q-1, well done.}** Q-1's blood freezes in her veins. For the pilot of the Annihilator to know her call sign, let alone be able to communicate with her was impossible. The anti-communication Aether bomb has pumped out enough Aether that no communication should have been possible within the field, except if one was using the Force, which the Knights were. So how could the pilot…

Without waiting for a reply, the pilot activates his afterburners, rocketing forward toward the Teutoburg. For all the virtues of her Exus, Q-1 cannot catch up to the pilot. With horror, she watches him launch his AMP blast and then hightail it out of the area. If Exsilium's invention does not work… The AMP blast is only meters away from hitting the Teutoburg when a large capsule is launched from one of the many guns sprinkled over the Teutoburg's surface area. Just before the capsule hits the AMP blast, it implodes, creating a mini-black hole. The AMP blast is sucked inside, and the hole closes around it.

Q-1 lets out a small sigh of relief, smirking to herself. "Well Mr. I-Can-Successfully-Destroy-the-Teutoburg, it seems you are out of options."

Again, the pilot surprises her with a mental communication. **{Indeed Q-1. That, was unexpected. My Empress will be most displeased. Still, a lesson was taught here today. I look forward to meeting you again, and paying you back for shooting me down during that last battle.}** With that the pilot signs off, and Q-1 finally recognizes the voice. She had only heard it once, during the final battle of the Naboo Invasion. While Lord Vader had been dealing with the Gungan Army on the surface, Q-1 had led the counter-offensive against Padme's last ditch effort to regain her world. At the end of the battle, there was only one pilot who had survived. His craft, battered and broken, had only been taken down when she intervened personally. The pilot bailed out before his craft exploded, and with his flight suit sealed off, he grabbed onto one of the turrets of the Trade Federation battleship. She had then pulled her craft close to him, opened a channel and told him the war was over. His response chilled her to this day. "No, it is not. So long as our Queen leads us, we will obtain victory, and the destruction of our enemies." It was then, hearing that voice and seeing the naked hatred in his eyes, that Q-1 understood why his people had survived all that they had, how they had wiped out the original settlers of Naboo, how they had gone unnoticed for nearly four thousand years.

"Gavyn Sykes, it seems that you and I are destined to fight each other. Hmm…" With that thought, Q-1 speeds away from the battlefield, and to her next mission.

**Knight of Three and Ahsoka**

After the failed attempt to destroy the Teutoburg, the battle finished pretty quickly. The two dreadnoughts turned toward the front and rear, while the warships hidden in the asteroid field completely encircled the middle. Britannia warships completed the encirclement of the front and rear and within an hour, all the Venators were destroyed and the Acclamators damage, but their content still unscathed. The mission was a complete and utter success, and with it Phoenix can turn to his next mission. Sighing, he turns to Ahsoka and knocks her out with the Force. She suspects nothing, so offers no defense. He then takes her to a bed in the rear, makes sure she is comfortable, and moves away from Taris. The one thing that he had learned in that all his years is that one does not turn away from the will of the Force. One does not do it, even if one has no idea why the Force wants one to commit such a strange, and seemingly harmful action. Phoenix knows from personal experience that to go your own way it to invite disaster. The one time he had done so, had ignored the will of the Force, an entire planet had died. The screams of the dead still haunt him to this day.

"I don't understand, but I obey." He murmurs, punching in the coordinates for Teth, a planet under the influence of the Hutt Lord, Avarus Famulus Erus. His ship, the Algarve, powers up and punches through the interdiction field created by the Aether Bomb. Its destination, Teth, and the lair of one of the greediest Hutts in the galaxy.

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**Author's Note:**

** Not much of a battle I guess, but there will be more in the future. Besides, I felt it more important to explain Aether and the Admirals of Britannia, both of which will be very important. The basic idea of Aether is how the Force was presented during episode 4, "an energy field that binds the galaxy together." Um, okay. Well, if it is energy, why does it have a will? If it did, it would be to seek balance. It also wouldn't get a woman pregnant to bring about "balance". No, it one side or another was stronger, the opposite side would rise up and destroy them. So I moved away from that. Here the Force is the Transcendent and Immanent Creator of the Universe, meaning the Force exists outside the Universe and inside at the same time. The Force has a will, and its Will will be done, or there will be consequences, like what Phoenix said. Anyway there will be one more prologue chapter then on to the main story. Just a warning, Ahsoka is going to be going through some rough stuff next chapter and the first few of the story. But there is a reason. Anyway, please leave a review. I love to hear back from my readers. It helps nourish me. Reviews are FF writers' pizza. We have got to get our pizza.**

**Reply to Reviewers**

**Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay: Yeah, Ulgo was never meant to last long, though I was unsure of how to get rid of him. Of course don't assume this is the end for the Ulgo family. There are plenty more where the 100****th**** came from, and not all of them are evil. As for Plo he will be showing up a bit later, but won't for the first arc or so. The Jedi have a bounty on his head, or will if they ever learn he is alive. So he is going to the Unknown Regions, to fight some freaky aliens who are giving the Revanchists/Knights some trouble. Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter. One more to go and then we get to the first arc, Broken Chains.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **


	4. Prologue 4, Part 1

"**Everything is proceeding as the Force had decreed it would. ALL HAIL THE FORCE! ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"**

**King Leonard Spencer, to the Britannian People, ATR 3,618 (32 BBY)

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**Twilight of the New Order**

**Prologue 4, Part 1

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**ATR 3,618 (32 BBY), Kalo (Teth)**

"Ah Teth, playground of the Hutts, prison to countless slaves, and the treasure chest for slave dealers like myself; oh how I hate this planet." Kalo Poder, aka the Knight of Three, aka Emerald Phoenix, moans melodramatically. To his right his wife casts a scalding look at him. He quickly quiets down, not wanting to unduly annoy the Knight of Seven. After all, he would be paying for such actions well into the night. Ah, the joys and hurtles of married life.

"Kalo," his wife, Ty Lee, admonishes, "you know you have to play a certain role here. You can complain all you want about the planet and its rulers AFTER we have deposited Ahsoka in Avarus Famulus Erus's palace. Till then, act like a cold, selfish, schutta who is interested only in money, sex, and power."

Kalo glances to his wife and grants her a big smile. "Gee, you say the nicest things about me. How could you have possibly resisted my charms for so long?"

She snorts, granting him a sardonic look, "Because you are the quintessential Algarvian male, proud, boastful, the potential to be promiscuous as all Chaos, and so immensely powerful that you can justify the previous three characteristics."

Kalo gives her a wounded look. "The first I agree with. The second, yeah, probably. The fourth definitely. Once I return to Algarve I will grow stronger and topple both Zero and Q-1 to become the Knight of One. Though the third is most definitely not true. I have never even so much as…" He cut off by Ty Lee moving into his lap.

Smiling now for the first time since the conversation began, Ty Lee wraps her arms around his neck. "I know."

**Avarus Famulus Erus****' Citadel, Teth**

By the standards of the Hutts, Avarus' vacation palace is, uninspiring. That puzzles Kalo. Avarus Famulus Erus is universally agreed to be one of, if not the, greediest Hutts. Conversely, no Hutt lives as spartanly as Avarus does. The contradictions are mind boggling. Why would a Hutt devote so much of its life to the acquisition of wealth, but then hardly spend any of it? Avarus had thus become a mild curiosity to Kalo. While he alternated between ruling in his native Algarve and fulfilling his obligations in Republic space, Kalo would often stop by Teth, or Nal Hutta, with a load of slaves to sell. The slaves, for the most part, were condemned criminals who had often wallowed in their victims' terror before killing them. The blood of the victims had cried out to the Force, and the Force had sent Kalo. He often found it amusing that the sentients who had basked in the terror of their victims gave the same feeling to thousands of spectators at the gladiator arenas. Ah, sweet justice as only the equally depraved could give.

Over the course of a decade, Kalo had developed something of a friendship with the Hutt, who enjoyed the fact that Kalo was so seemingly cut throat in his pursuit of money. Avarus had once commented that the Hutts while they may kill members of their own species for their own personal advancement, would not enslave members of their race. They held far too much pride as a species to intentionally demean other Hutts to a life of serving non-Hutt masters. Avarus then commented that for all the talk of High Human Culture, humans send more members of their own species into slavery then any other race in the galaxy.

Kalo had responded that the strong rule and the weak die. Avarus had nodded, and said that he understood perfectly. To this day Kalo remembers Avarus critique of the galaxy. "If one works from the proposition that life evolves, and there is no way one can work from any other proposition, then it follows that life is not equal. The weak will die off and the strong will rise up to take their rightful place. It happens every single day, from the dawning of the sun to its setting, all through the night, and on through the dawn. The greatest, and only law of the universe; the survival of the fittest. If that is true, and in all of my seven hundred years I have not seen anything to dispute it, then there is no good, and there is no evil. What is called evil is merely smart business practice. If your enemy is an entire people, utterly destroying them frees up additional space for you and your species to grow and evolve. Since they evolved from the same matter as you did, there is nothing separating you from them, save power. It is power that makes all unequal, and power that determines who lives and who dies. Power that makes individuals and peoples into near god like entities, and power that oppresses the masses.

"If on the other hand though, should the strong ever lose their power, they cannot run to some document containing some imagined rights and say, 'You can't do this. We have rights.' Sentients have no rights. Power and power alone determines who is on top and who is on bottom. To say that there are rights implies a fundamentally different approach to the galaxy. For, if there are inalienable rights, then who gave sentients those rights? But we both know that the cosmos is all that ever was, all that is, and all that will be. As such, there are no such rights, and to think otherwise is madness." Kalo would almost miss the Hutt when it is finally put to justice.

Striding through the front doors, Kalo ignores all of the slaves and guests of Avarus. Avarus' majordomo glides up to Kalo and begins to open his mouth when Kalo cocks his fist and slams it into the majordomo. The nameless majordomo crumbles to the floor. Just for good measure, Kalo stomps the unconscious man in the head. Sensing that he is still alive, Kalo continues on. Shortly thereafter, he comes to the throne room. Avarus gives his a disapproving look.

"Kalo, Kalo, Kalo, did you have to go and assault poor Wilhelm?" Kalo knows that Avarus doesn't really care. He probably finds the situation amusing.

Kalo crosses his arms over his chest, his face stony, his stance totally unrepentant. "I told that man if he ever got near me again, I would crush him. I will kill him if he so much as looks at my wife. I told him all of this last time, but it seems you pick stupid majordomos."

There is a collective hush that comes over the throne room at Kalo's words. To criticize the majordomo was an indirect criticism of Avarus. The lesser beings that fill the room cower in the corner, expecting Kalo to be thrown to the Rancor. But unlike his worthless minions, Avarus just bellows out laughter. Kalo, like him, is a being of substance and can kill in an instant, Ysalamiri or no Ysalamiri. "Hahaha. This is why I like you Kalo. So honest, so direct. The truly strong have no need for bluster or lies. Their power is reflected in their words, their actions, their very stance. To look upon you, to hear your voice, it is to stare into the face of power. Oh how I long for beings such as you to rise up and destroy these worthless things that cling to the shadows and devour whatever scraps I deem appropriate for them." Avarus pauses to heave a great sigh out of his fat body. "How I hate them."

It is only now, after ten years of studying the Hutt that Kalo gets it. In retrospect it should have been obvious, but Kalo is only human. Avarus, in essence, wants to create a master race. Not necessarily a race made up of only humans or Hutts, or Wookies, etc.., but a race of the strong, where every member of the race would be like a god in the flesh, able to rule over the weaker sub-race of parasites, and bring order to the galaxy. This attitude did explain a few things, such as why Avarus spent so much time accumulating wealth, but never spending it on himself. Unlike most successful Hutts, Avarus had self-control, and did not fall into the trap that older Hutts were prone to fall into, the trap of self-indulgence. The trap generally killed the Hutts when they focused to much on themselves, and not enough on their business. That left the door open for an assassin to come in and finish the Hutt off.

But Kalo will have to reflect on this new revelation some other time. Right now he has a mission to fulfill, and then he can leave this world forever. Smirking, Kalo grants Avarus a mock bow. "I am humbled that you think so highly of me. And to show that your faith is not blind, may I present you with the Padawan of Jedi Master Plo Koon, Ahsoka Tano." At that precise moment, Ty Lee walks into the throne room, Ahsoka still knocked out and lying on a hoversled. Avarus' eyes widen as he gazes on the still form of Ahsoka.

"Can it be, the Padawan of the leader of the Reformists? How did you manage that Kalo?" The Hutt's tone is full of wonder and respect.

Keeping up the image, Kalo gives another mock bow. "I have my ways. And since this is the Padawan of a leading Jedi…" But Avarus cuts him off.

"I will have her. Name your price and I will pay it." Somewhat taken aback by this unorthodox departure from standard negotiations, Kalo picks a number out of his head and says it. Avarus nods once. "Agreed. I will have the documents brought up and the money transferred to your usual accounts. Now, I apologize for the abruptness, but I must attend to my new slave. I foresee her making me a great deal of money."

Stunned by the Hutt's abruptness, Kalo has no choice but to give a mock bow for a third time and leave. He stops by the Hutt's accountant, sees to the transfer, then he and Ty Lee board the Algarve and blast off from the palace. As they ascend into the heavens, Kalo lets out a sigh, slumping back into his seat. Ty Lee puts the ship on auto-pilot and moves over to him, planting herself on his lap. "You are worried about her." She plants a small kiss on his forehead, and leans in to him. Absently he begins rubbing her back.

"I, I have always trusted the Force, ever since the incident. Yet I feel, uneasy, leaving Ahsoka in Avarus' clutches. Before hand I had thought he simply used the strong vs. the weak line as a justification for his greed, but now I am not so sure. I could be wrong, but it seems that Avarus truly believes that there will come a time when the Strong will destroy the weak, or will so crush their spirit that a New Order will be implemented across the galaxy. Ahsoka, is young, and I do not want her to be swayed by him."

Ty Lee sighs and wraps her arms around Kalo. "That is why Q-1 is being assigned as a guard, a protector. She will help guide Ahsoka through these times, or at the very least restrain her. And Zero will be keeping a close eye on this matter. He will be spending most of his time in Americanus, which is only a short distance from Hutt Space. So relax. Worrying won't do you any good, and will only tick off the Force. Let the plan that was drawn up long ago be implemented, and focus on what you need to do." She tightens her embrace, and he responds.

After a moment, he looks into her face, and some of the sorrow bleeds away. "I pray you are right Ty Lee. I pray that you are right."

**Zero, Americanus, Capital of Britannia **

Not for the first time Zero bemoans the fact that for all his power he is basically a glorified bureaucrat. Throughout his long life, he had spent more time in this office, located down deeps in the bowls of Americanus, the capital of Britannia, then he had above ground, or so it seemed. After all, where else would you put an intelligence agency then underground?

Things got worse when his wife, Q-1, was on extended missions. Oh how he loved that woman, longed for her company, if only for her to sit silently by him while she does her own hideous amount of paperwork. There was also his tendency to fret over her. He never showed it on the outside, nor let it influence his actions, but when she is away, he worries for her. He more then anyone else in the galaxy knows just how dependent sentients are on the Force, especially the first seven Knights of Britannia. So when the King summons him to the Palace to discuss the upcoming set of missions, Zero signs with relief.

Leaving Imperial Intelligence, Zero takes a moment to bask in the sunlight of downtown Americanus. As befitting his rank of Knight of One, Zero always dresses very formally, in the style befitting an Aristocrat-Elect. In addition, whenever he is outside Britannia's boundaries, he wears a large mask, a legacy of his early years of deceit and living in the shadows. Now though, amidst his brethren, he has donned a more causal set of clothes, and takes some time to enjoy himself. All around of him Americanus bustles, the psychic waves of its people washing over him, allowing him to see for miles in every direction. The Britannians, unlike all other societies, are unique. Nearly every single Britannian, save the immigrants, are Force-Sensitive. Such a mass of Force-Sensitives has created a most unusual phenomena. The Britannians have developed a quasi hive mind. Unlike inscetoid species though, Britannians can operate just as well outside the meld, though the meld has aided their society in numerous ways. For example, murder is almost unheard of in Britannia society. Not only does the act of taking a being's life who you are connected to nearly drive the murderer insane, but all in the immediate vicinity know of the deed as it is committed. The assailant is almost always captured, and death handed down quickly, usually before the victim's blood can cease its death screams. Other, lesser crimes, are more common, but are still easily able to be detected. Thus Britannia's quasi-hive mind has led to the utmost respect for the rule of Law, and a very peaceful society. Most of the Courts that exist are there to deal with ignorant outsiders and immigrants.

Smiling at the superiority of his people, Zero takes a public transport to the Imperial Palace. As he passes through he city, he looks over to the center of the city where a great light illuminates the city, no matter if it is day or night; the Hagai Sophia. The holy temple at the center of Britannian life, it was a structure built at the beginning of Britannian history when the King and the people promised to follow the Force through all of time. At the top of its tallest spire lies a large crystal. From it the light of the Force casts its glory over the city. The Hagai Sophia is the basis for all of the Sanctuaries of the Good Samaritans, the religious body that comes closest to a state religion.

The Hagai Sophia soon passes from Zero's view, and the Royal Palace rises to fill its place. Another Britannian oddity is that the Palace is not where the Royal Family resides. Unlike other monarchies, the Britannian King or Queen is not a hereditary position. Like the high military officers, the monarch is chosen by the Force. The reigns of monarchs vary wildly. Some ruled for nearly a hundred years, while others have ruled for months or days, just long enough to help guide Britannia through some crisis or another. One commonality between all monarchs is that they are what is needed during their particular reign. The current Royal family resides in a small complex located a few miles from the palace. The current king is independently wealth, and does not use taxpayer money to house his large family. This, naturally, makes his people adore him as they admire a king who is frugal with taxpayer money.

Zero soon enters the palace ground and follows a hoard of tourists who have come to visit the Royal Palace. Occasionally a guard or two would descend on a being and proceed to beat them to within an inch of their lives. The guards would then pull out a weapon, generally a knife or gun, but sometimes a small bomb and haul the would be assassin away to the Tower of Britannia where a trial was held and the would be assassin executed, unless he/she/it can provide something to convince the court to commute the sentence. Zero sighs as the man next to him is taken out of the line and beaten. Following the Force had never been easy, but in his opinions the attempts of the enemies of Britannia to kill the king were just getting ridiculous. After thousands of years of Britannian history, not one monarch died before their time. One would think the Hutts would get it by now.

Leaving the throng of tourist, and the guards, Zero makes his way to one of the secret entrances of the palace, greets some undercover guards, and slips in. Once inside, a mob of servants wash over him and by the time his makes it to the throne room he is dressed in his customary Knight of One clothes. "Ah, servants, what would we do without you." He mutters, hating the fact that all the servants who had descended upon him were women, most of them young virgins who were giggling as they walked away. It must be Zero's brawny body. Yes, the fact that he is a mass of bulging muscles causes all the young virgins to swoon over him… in his dreams. The reality is that they giggle because he lacks any muscles to speak of, and is the most unlikely person one would think to be the Knight of One. "I really miss Q-1." The young virgins always left him alone when she was around, probably because they were scared that Q-1 would draft them into the military and make them serve on some far flung world if she caught them giggling at her husband. Aww, the joys of married life.

Above Zero, the King bellows out laughter. "You look like a puppy that just got its favorite bone taken away from you Zero. If you are going to look like this every time Q-1 leaves the system, I think I should summon you to the palace on a regular basis." Zero shivers, but does not say anything else. He knows that this is one of the ways his king deals with his pain, by embarrassing other people and laughing about it. Normally Zero would play along some, to give the king more time to laugh and not to think about his loss, but not today. Today, with his wife heading straight into the bowls of Chaos, he wants the king to be reminded of his pain, of his loss. The king, no fool, sees as much and Zero watches as the mirth dies, the light draining from his eyes. "Hmm, so you aren't in the mood to humor your sovereign?"

Zero shakes his head, still bowed before the king. "The Force is my Sovereign. You are the king, but only for as long as the Force decrees it. Sooner or later, your sorrow for family will kill you. I hope that it is not before your time."

The king, Leonard Spencer, snorts. "We can't all be blessed by the Force as you have Zero." Though the king cannot see it, Zero raises his eyebrow in a sardonic manner. Before he can retort Leonard motions for him to rise. Zero does so, and waits for the king's next commands. He does not have to wait long. "I trust that everything went according to plan?"

Zero knows that Leonard is well aware of the outcome of the battle of Teutoburg Pass, but he can only sigh inwardly and give a full, precise report. Zero spends several minutes speak, detailing how the trap had been set, how Plo Koon and Ahsoka Tano had been lured in, how their cloaked Venator had been taken, of the surprise attack by the Teutoburg and the Rhine, and of the complete encirclement. "As instructed by the Force, High Lord Windu was allowed to escape, along with the Holy Nubian Empire vessel and their AMP cannon equipped vessels. If my informants are correct, and they had better be for their sakes, Windu should be linking up with a task force led by Darth Sidious in the next day or so." Zero pauses, waiting to see if Leonard has anything to add. He does.

"Very good. While I personally think that Windu should have been executed, we will obey the Force's will. It will be interesting to see Sidious lay all his cards on the table, very interesting." Leonard chuckles a bit darkly. "Once being a Sith meant something. To declare yourself a Sith was to be an enemy of the galaxy. Now there is almost no difference between the Jedi and Sith. The basic goal is the same, the pursuit of power. The Jedi are more collectivistic about the way they do it though." Leonard sighs and leans back on his throne. "And what of the equipment that was taken from the Acclamators? Have they been successfully to High Alamos?" Zero then proceeded to wrap up the report on the stolen military equipment. When he is finished, Leonard rises. Unlike Zero who can best be described as a human stick, Leonard is a powerful male, tall and wide, with bulging muscles that belie his true age. With a grace befitting a man half his age, he descends the staircase leading up to his throne and makes his way to a holoprojector. Zero senses his king's desire and he too walks over to the projector. When they are both at the projector, Leonard waves his hand, using Aether to activate the contraption. Instantly an image of a bloated Hutt and Hutt Space appears. The two stare at the twin images for several minutes without speaking. All the while Leonard's anger builds. When he finally speaks, it is not a shout, but a whisper. "The Hutts killed her. They killed my first wife. They killed all my children, save for my youngest, Theodore. Zero," Leonard turns to scrutinize the longtime head of Imperial Intelligence, "he was in his mother's arms when she died. Her blood splashed all over him. For years he would not stop screaming at night. For years he had to sleep in my room because he was afraid that I too would die. Zero, do you know who did this?"

Zero is very still now. His king, Leonard Spencer, is on the verge of losing control. Despite all his Aether strength, Zero knows a physical contest between them will end in Leonard's favor. So, as if he is walking in a minefield, Zero chooses his next words carefully. "Yes, my king, I do."

Leonard's eyes, now fully yellow as his rage takes over, bores into the mask. "Then say it." When Zero does not respond fast enough Leonard explodes, "Say it you shadow crawling coward! SAY IT!"

Gulping, Zero does. "It was Avarus Famulus Erus my king. He ordered your family's execution." The name causes the rage to bleed away Leonard. His eyes lose the tint of the dark side, returning to their normal cerulean state. As if truly comprehending how old he is, Leonard limps away, back to his throne. Taking his seat on it, he sends out a mental summons. Instantly two of his wives join him. Zero does not hear what is said, and is glad. Being married to one woman is more then enough to keep him on his toes. To be married to several, it is beyond his comprehension. Thankfully the king remembers Zero and waves a dismissing hand at him. Zero bows, and begins to leave when the king's voice stops him.

"Though the heavens may fall, justice will be done." Zero looks over his shoulder, nods, and leaves. Having made his report, Zero must return to his underground lair. II doesn't run itself, and there is still much work to be done before all is in readiness.

**Mace Windu, the Varis, deep space**

Sitting alone in his chambers, Mace Windu contemplates the events of the past few thousand years. The Great Sith War had substantially weakened the Jedi Order to the point where it had chosen to ignore the Mandalorian incursion into Republic space rather then fight it head one. Only one Jedi had the courage to stand and fight, the Jedi Revan, the Revanchist. True to his title, Revan had won back all the territory lost to the Mandalorians, only to turn around and attack the Republic. The Jedi Civil War, or the Liberation, was a costly thing. The Republic had to flee into the uncharted northern regions of the galaxy. It had to rebuild everything, and without the Jedi, it would have vanished from the face of the galaxy. The Jedi had thus stepped in, temporarily suspended the Senate, and began the process of rebuilding.

Out of the shriveled remnant of the Order, a leader appeared who rallied everyone to his cause. Barel Ovair the First instituted a long series of reform that transformed the Jedi Order. Instead of Masters, the Jedi High Council were granted the title of Lord, though some would on occasion use the title of Master. The Jedi Code was abolished and replaced with one that pledged loyalty to the Jedi Order. Recruitment practices were also substantially changed. Previous the Jedi had searched the galaxy for Force-Sensitive babies. Now the Jedi Order, or Order of Jedi Lords, would begin a program of mass breeding. Most powerful Jedi would have their DNA harvested and combined in artificial wombs to create strong Jedi offspring. Barel Ovair even began experimenting with cloning certain Jedi, though the results were dismal and the project was quickly abandoned.

Barel Ovair also began the program of freezing strong Jedi in Carbonite, and storing them in Fortress world for future use. Ovair couldn't freeze a large number of Jedi during the beginning of his reign, but when he died fifty years after the end of the Jedi Civil War, the Order's rank had risen substantially. His son, and grandson continued this policy, leading the Jedi to swell and ensuring their complete and utter control of the Republican Remnant.

After Revan's descendents destroyed the True Sith Empire, the Order of Jedi Lords invaded the Revanchist Empire. They fought a few battles, but nothing overly difficult. The one exception was Taris. At the end of the Jedi Civil War, when the Jedi began acting like cornered beasts, they had used pressure bombs on Taris, to punish the world for its whole hearted support of Revan. They had destroyed the cities and killed millions, but ultimately it gained them no strategic advantage. Within a month, they had signed a peace treaty and retreated.

Still, as Mace Windu contemplates the history of his order, he sees the destruction of Taris in a new light. Previously, the Jedi Order had help to a set of ethic they derived from study/worship of the Light Side of the Force. Revan, however, had proved to good a foe for them. It seemed that the Force was with Revan in every decision he made. So, as the Republic retreated on every front, the Jedi made a crucial decision. They set a trap for Revan, or so they thought. After capturing him, they wiped his mind and gave him a new set of memories. Ultimately, they hoped that Revan would lead them to the source of his never ending armada, the Star Forge. Revan did lead them to the Star Forge, but would ultimately destroy the Republic Fleet and send the Jedi on a year of panic retreat. In retrospect, the attempted mind rape of Revan was the first true step of the Jedi away from their ethics, and toward the pragmatic approach to life the Order of Jedi Lords preaches. From Windu's point of view, the only thing wrong with the mind rape of Revan is that it did not succeed. There is nothing evil about it for what makes evil, evil? Evil is merely the absence of good. But what is good? Previously it was defined as the Force. But if the Force is good and it is created by all living things, then it is living things who define what good and subsequently evil is. And because no consensus has ever been agreed upon for what good is, good is relative to each culture. Thus there is no universal good or evil, only what works and doesn't work.

Having come this conclusion long ago, Mace Windu reviews it, searching for any flaws in his logic. He finds none. Nodding to himself, he wonders out loud, "Now, how do we reverse this trend that has developed as of late? How do we restore the good name of the Order in the minds of the Plebeians?" A sudden chill pierces his heart then, drawing Windu back to the world around him. Looking up, he sees Supreme Chancellor Palpatine… no, it is not Palpatine. Rising swiftly to his feet, Windu ignites his lightsaber and lunges forward bringing the blade no more then an inch from the Sith's neck. "Sith scum." Windu growls. He moves to decapitate the Sith when Palpatine speaks.

"Having a bad day?" Though the question is somewhat mocking, Windu senses something else in the tone, something… promising. So Windu does not decapitate the Sith, but studies him. The gentle face of Palpatine is gone now, replaced by a putrid face, gnarled teeth, and eyes shining with power.

"Those monsters, they destroyed my fleet. Over a million casualties, in one hour. I will never be rid of the shame of this defeat."

The Sith's smile, perhaps in another life, another time, would have unnerved Windu. Now, now it only fills him with a much needed feeling, hope. "Perhaps, then, we have common cause once again?" The Sith is patient. He gives no sign of being discomforted by the meter long length of plasma nearly pressed against his neck. Instead of cowering, he acts as if he is in his office, courting a new ally. "Once our two Orders were one. Then came the Second Great Schism, and the Order was divided. A civil war erupted, brother against brother. The Jedi Order won, and exiled my people. Shortly thereafter, your people were exiled and began to tread the same path. This is the inevitable end result. We have come to a place of common ground, a place where all that separates us is a crack an inch or so wide, some names, a different doctrine here or there, all of which can be easily done away with."

Windu stares into those yellow eyes, and likes what he sees. Shutting down his blade, he steps back and nods. "What is it that you desire?"

The Sith steps forward, and using his power of the Dark Side, conjures up an image of the past. "I, I am the most perfect reactionary. I seek to return everything in this galaxy, everything to that perfect Order that existed in ATR 0. Where the rulers of the galaxy were the elite, the strong, and where the Plebeians knew their place. In short, High Lord Mace Windu, I, Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith, wish to return to the time when the Jedi Empire Ruled, and Force-Sensitives were treated like gods!" The Sith's smile is as evil and self-serving as Mace Windu's.

"That was a time of civilization, was it not?" Mace Windu asks before stretching out his hand. The Sith clasps it, and with their union, the destiny of both orders is sealed.

**Theodore Spencer (Coruscant)**

On Coruscant, the Vice-Chancellor of the Galactic Republic closes the link with the Sith'ari of the Revanchists. Smiling to himself he walks over to the window and gazes out over Coruscant. In the distance he can see the Jedi Temple. At the sight of that hated building, his anger increases, so much so that one of his pets rises from its nest and walks over to him. Glancing back at the Cold Hunter, a psychic Velociraptor found on the wild moons of the Britannian system, Theodore smiles. The Hunter, Gunther, walks over to him and purrs as it rubs its head against Theodore's side. Theodore pats it on the head and utters a quick command. A door opens up in the sealing and a piece of meat lowers down. Gunther barks with glee and rushes to claim it. With his pet occupied, Theodore returns to gazing at the Temple.

"Soon we will burn that temple, and set all the captives free. It is the will of the Force. Only then can I return to my native land, with her in my arms." Sighing that that day is not today, Theodore returns to his work. He has a lot of work to do before then, such as containing the public outrage at the failure of the Jedi at the Battle of Teutoburg Pass. Theodore snorts as he recalls the name. "Zero, Zero, Zero, why did you name it that?" He sighs, shrugs, and bends over to review some documents. The life of a double agent, how droll.

**Lord Vader, Dromund Kaas**

On Dromund Kaas, the former capital of the True Sith Empire, Lord Vader concentrates on his lessons. While he successfully defeated the Holy Nubian Empire at Naboo, there are many more battles to be fought before the galaxy can rest. Vader must be ready. He cannot let his parents down, not when they went to such trouble to bring him an excellent teacher.

Sitting a few feet away, Qui-Gon Jinn studies his new apprentice. Several months back, he and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi had been sent to Naboo to resolve the Naboo Crisis. The Trade Federation, however, did not want their intervention and they had had to run. They made it to the surface and rescued the Queen. After a heralding escape, they eventually returned to lead an insurrection against the Trade Federation. While the Queen attempted to capture Viceroy Nute Gunray, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan dealt with Sith Lord. The battle had been long and fierce, and eventually ended with Qui-Gon getting stabbed and Obi-Wan giving in to the Dark Side. Before either Dark Warrior could strike the final blow, hundreds of battle droids had flooded the area. The Sith was eventually cut down, but Obi-Wan was thrown into the shaft. The droids had then tended to Qui-Gon's injuries, saving his life. Qui-Gon had then been transported off of Naboo and taken to Dromund Kaas. There he had a very interesting conversation with the Force. After that, he was assigned to be the teacher of the Conqueror of Naboo, Lord Vader, who was only a nine-year boy. Such interesting twists and turns his life had taken. Such interesting twists and turns.

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**Author's Note:**

** There are going to be two parts to prologue four, and then on to the main story. This one introduces more of the main characters and gives some insight into their character. It also foreshadows some pretty nasty events, though that is in the future. As you might have noticed, the Spencer men have some anger issues, that will be explained later. As for Darth Sidious and Mace Windu, I feel that it is not an extraordinary step for them to form an alliance. This is after all based on the Youtube Video Jedi Betrayal. Additionally, the Jedi gave up their ethics a long time ago. They didn't replace it with anything aside from a desire for revenge and power. With that as their worldview, there really isn't much difference between the Jedi and Sith. As to Theodore, he did not get much time here. I just wanted to introduce him. He won't be showing up much for a while, but he will have a big role to play. **

**Now, as for Qui-Gon. So far things have been running fairly close to canon. The mission to Naboo remained the same, only Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Padme went straight to Coruscant. They talked a little with the leadership then headed back. Padme was captured by the Revanchists when she tired to get Nute, and since Obi-Wan was never a part of the reformist faction like his master, when Qui-Gon got stabbed he gave into the Dark Side. The Revanchists then flooded the room with battle droids, killing Maul, knocking Obi into the giant hole thing, and healing Qui-Gon. Obi will be showing up later on, but don't expect him to be a hero or anything. As for Vader, he will be showing up after the Broken Chain and Indomitable Assassin arcs. **

**Next chapter will have Q-1, Padme, Count Dooku, Jango Fett, and Ahsoka.**

**Reply to Reviewers**

**Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay: More battles are on their way. **

**horus346: Thank you. Jango is still here. If you like him don't worry, he is going to have a much happier ending then he did in Episode II. But more on that later.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Here is the official timeline for this saga. Ascension Throne Republica (ATR) / Before the Battle of Yavin (BBY; this is the cannon time dating system so I will use it as well so everyone knows when the events are.**

**P-ATR 306/ 3,956 BBY – The Battle of the Star Forge. Revan returns to power. The Republic begins its long surrender.**

**P-ATR 305/ 3,955 BBY – Final Surrender of the Jedi. The bombing of Taris. The Jedi begin to reorganize themselves.**

**P-ATR 31 / 3,681 BBY – The True Sith Empire invades the Revanchist Empire. The Great Galactic War begins.**

**P-ATR 3 / 3,653 BBY – The Final destruction of the True Sith. The Republic Remnant invades the Revanchist Empire.**

**ATR 0/ 3,650 BBY – The defeat of the Revanchist Empire. The Ascension Throne Republica dating system adopted. The Grand Lord of the Jedi declared to be supreme ruler of the galaxy.  
**

**ATR 2,600 / 1,050 BBY - Beginning of the New Sith Wars.**

**ATR 2,650 / 1,000 BBY – Defeat of the New Sith Empire. Ruusan Reformations. Jedi allow the Senate to reform. Rise of the Patricians.  
ATR 3,618/ 32 BBY – The Invasion of Naboo by the Trade Federation. The creation of the Holy Nubian Empire. Tarsian/Revanchist/Britannian victory at the Battle of Teutoburg Pass. Ahsoka sold into slavery.**


	5. Prologue 4, Part 2

"**AHHHHHHH! HELP ME! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!"**

**Ahsoka Tano undergoing the initiation process of being Avarus' gladiator

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**Twilight of the New Order**

**Prologue 4, Part 2

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**ATR 3,618 (32 BBY), Q-1, Loovria**

Karren Kozuki, aka Q-1, aka the Knight of Two, lies shackled at the bottom of a slave's pit. After the Battle of Teutoburg Pass, Karren had taken her Exus away from carnage wrought by her forces and to the gladiatorial world of Geonosis. There she had given her Exus to one of her husband's many intelligence agents, and then had the agent sell her to one of Avarus' the Hutts slave hunters. The slave hunter had to make a few stops before returning to his master's estate on Teth, so Karren finds herself in the bottom of a slave pit on Loovria while the hunter completes his business. While she waits, Karren casts her gaze over her fellow slaves, most of whom are young females, though a few males are sprinkled in as well. Karren snorts in disdain as she watches them cower. "The Hutts have made slavery into an art form. Fat and slow, they have bent other species to their will. What would have happened had the Hutts been defeated by Zim? What if the Treaty of Vontor had never been ratified? So much pain, so much suffering. The Hutts are intelligent, terrifying, and cruel. They need to be. Once their slaves realize how powerless the Hutts truly are, nothing in the Cube save the Force can save them from the inevitable uprising." All the slaves around her move away, cowering away as a shadow appears over Karren. Looking over shoulder, Karren snorts in derision. "Well if isn't the little man. Come to take one of these delicious sex slaves as one of your own? I would be careful of thinking such thoughts. What would your master think?" She continues to gaze at the slaver with derision even as strong hands clasp around her neck, lifting her fully off the ground.

"A big mouth you have got there. Perhaps I can find a better use for it." The slaver, a Trandoshan, hisses in pretty good Basic.

Far from being terrified by the thought of being raped, Karren laughs in the slaver's face. "You really are a fool. Do you know who my family is?"

The slaver is the one who snorts in derision this time. "I don't care if you are the daughter of Grand Lord Yoda himself, you are merely a slave. You have no power, and thus are completely at my non-existent sense of mercy. While Lord Avarus may not like it, I am sure he will understand the need to break one as strong-willed as yourself." He turns to shout for some companions when Karren begins to laugh, a deep cruel laugh worthy of a Hutt.

"You are a fool! Do you honestly think that I am scared of you, your master, or the Hutt Empire? I am a member of the most magnificent family that has ever existed in this galaxy. I am a child of the Force, and if you think that you will escape the punishment that will be inflicted upon you for this crime, then you know nothing of Britannians. My brothers and sisters will hear of this, they will feel it, just as soon as you violate me. Your pitiful Ysalamiri," Karren glances to the little lizards that dot the clave pit, "can not stop our connection. And I assure you, if I do not kill you either while you commit the act or afterwards, then my enraged brothers and sisters will come for you. They will drag you from whatever stronghold you are holed up in, take you to the Supreme Court, and there you will be tried for rape. You will lose, I guarantee it. Then my husband will take you down deep into his lair and make sure that your punishment is long, painful, and just short of death." By this time the slaver has dropped her, and taken several steps back. Karren sees that her words have planted absolute terror in the slaver. Her smile does noting to lesson that terror. "So you at least have some intelligence. Good. Now, unless you don't want me to call them and get you for the mere threat of rape, you will do exactly as I say." Just for good measure, Karren activates her special power, the Britannian Battle Mediation. With this she can inspire her allies to walk through the gates of Chaos, and her enemies to see their worst nightmares. She never knows what her power makes her enemies see, though she knows it is always something horrible.

Behind her the rest of the slaves gasp and flee to the far corner of the pit, their moans filling Karren's ears, causing her some regret. Pathetic the slaves might be, but she holds no ill will toward them. But the BBM isn't something she can focus in on one person, unless that person is the only one in the room. Her talent's great weakness is that it spreads to everyone around her. If they are her allies, they are strengthened. If they are not, then they are weakened. _'Better wrap this up.'_ She thinks as she steps forward to him. When she is only a foot away from the cowering Trandoshan, she breaks the chains around her hands. As the metal falls to the floor, Karren bends over and grasps the slaver by the neck. Lifting him up, and reversing their roles from only a minute before, Karren instructs the slaver what he is to do to avoid the punishment that has hounded him for so long. When she is done is loosens her grasp. The slaver drops to the floor, his mind scarred by the power of Karren's BBM. She has no pity for him. Before she unleashed her power on him he fed on the fear of his victims, reveling in the false power he has over other sentient beings. Now she has broken him. Thinking of something else, Karren tries to get his attention. When it apparent he is too lost in his fear, she kicks him in the face, sending him sprawling on his back. She then slams her foot down on his chest, causing his weeping to cease. When she is sure she has his attention, Karren issues her next set of order. "Now, get yourself under control. If you give me up and reveal me for what I truly am before I desire it, you will be taken to Britannian and be tried as a slaver. We Britannians don't like slavers. When you have yourself under control go out and get me another pair of cuffs. I broke mine. Do you understand?" The slaver nods. With that, Karren turns back to the mass of terrified slaves. Stretching out with Aether, she commands them, "Forget everything you have seen today until you are free sentients once more." The slave's eyes glow as the Aether takes effect.

As one they speak, "Yes, my Lady." With that taken care of, Karren leans back against the wall, her breath a bit short. Despite all her bravado, using Aether in a Ysalamiri Field is not simple, and hurts like being fed into a wood chipper. Still, she has taken care of the problem. In the future she will need to be more careful. Zero always chastises her for her lack of control. One would think she would have learned some after all these years, but Karren knows that she is quite direct. She is a warrior, first and foremost. Undercover work does not come easy, though she is the only one who has the necessary credentials among the Knights that can pull off this mission. _'So be more careful in the future Karren.'_ She reminds herself. _'This mission is too important to be thrown away because you can't control your temper.'_ Over on the other side of the pit, the slaver finally rises and leaves. He comes back a few minutes later with a pair of handcuffs, and a very submissive attitude. Karren allows him to place the cuffs on her, then gives him a mild glare. He gets the message and leaves. When he is gone, she sighs and closes her eyes. "How much longer until we get to Teth?"

**Count Dooku, Kohlma, former headquarters of the Bando Gora **

Not for the first time, Count Dooku wishes he had strangled his former apprentice when she was a baby. Ahead of him a dark creature, a human turned ravenous demon, screams in outrage, charging at Dooku. Sighing at the sheer absence of finesse the creature puts in its attack, he sidesteps the demon, then brings his crimson blade down on its head. Instantly the creature catches fire. Continuing its screeches, Dooku lifts it up using Aether then flings it over the side of the cliff he is on. Sensing no other Bando Gora demons nearby, Dooku takes the time to check in with his employee. "Commander Fett, what is the progress of your army in eradicating this plague?"

Commander Cassus Fett is the descendent of the famous Field Marshal of the Mandalorian Armies, Cassus Fett the Tactician. The Tactician had allowed Mandalore the Ultimate to gain so much during the Mandalorian Wars, but was ultimately defeated by Lord Revan. Revan spared the Tactician and used his talents in his war against the Republic. After the Tactician's death, his family faded into obscurity until his descendents, Cassus Feet the Second and Jango Fett assumed command of the Mandalorian Armies. Now under the employ of Dooku and the Revanchists, Jango Fett and his consort have gone to Kamino to begin the creation of Darth Sidious' army while Cassus Fett has stayed behind with Dooku to finish off the remaining Bando Gora demons. The only problem is that the entire population of Kohlma, including its corpses, have been animated with the Bando Gora virus. Sidious and Dooku, who was meant to replace Darth Maul as the Sith Apprentice but was only playing along under orders from the leader of the Revanchists, the Sith'ari, had initially thought that given a few years time the Bando Gora would become quite a threat. They were wrong. The Bando Gora was a serious threat now, especially with a virus that can animate and corrupt the dead.

The transmission is full of static, but Dooku can make out what is said. "Those Chaos-damned demons! They are everywhere! Lord Dooku we do not have enough soldiers to hold out."

Dooku sighs in exasperation, muttering, "If you weren't already dead Komari, I would kill you for causing so much trouble." To Cassus he says, "Then withdraw. Have your warships bombard the moon."

Dooku hears screaming then, and scattered words. "What is that! …can't be… kill it… Darth Maul?" Dooku's blood freezes at the words Darth Maul.

"It can't be!" He mutters, "Maul is dead! The droids we poured into the plasma chamber made sure of it. We burned the body, just for good measure! This can't be him. Unless…" Suddenly the comm. Crackles back to life.

"Lord Dooku," Cassus' voice comes through exhausted, "we were attacked by, some creature. We believe it was an Iridonian, but cannot be sure. So many, weird, things on this moon I am beginning to have trouble telling friend from foe."

Dooku narrows his eyes at that. He wonders… Stretching out his perception, Dooku finds it. Cursing he gives his new orders to Cassus. "Cassus give the extraction order now. There are Nubian Death Witches on this planet. That creature you mentioned, I will deal with it. Just make sure you saturate this planet with enough energy to render it lifeless until Judgment Day."

Cassus tries to argue, but Dooku shuts the comm. down. Knowing what he has to do, Dooku opens himself fully to Aether. The life energy of the Universe pours into him, filling him with incredible strength. When he has absorbed as much as he can he focuses the power in his legs. Due the concentration of Aether in his legs, Dooku is able to sprint across the land at incredible speeds. As he does he slashes at every Bando Gora demon that gets in his way. Soon, he arrives at his destination, Komari Vosa's old fortress. As soon as he arrives he sees three shadows detach themselves from the structure, moving to intercept him. Smiling to himself, Dooku slows down, and comes to a stop five feet away from the Death Witches.

Placing the mask of loyal Sith Apprentice on, Dooku raises his lightsaber in salute. "Lord Sidious is greatly impressed with your efforts. Vosa was merely the pawn. You…"

One of the Death Witches speaks up, interrupting the Count. "We know who you are, Son of the Force. You are no Sith. Sidious is a fool. The Sith have had their chance, many times. Now it is our time. We will bring this galaxy under the command of the true Dark Lord."

Dooku smiles at the speaker, adjudging his grip on his lightsaber. "And who might that be?" The Death Witches respond with attacks. As one the three converge on him. The space around Dooku is a swarm of crimson blades, striking, blocking, and trying to create openings to that other blades can find their mark. For all Dooku's power in the Force and Aether, he knows that he cannot holdout for long. He senses that these Death Witches are a cut above the normal Nubian, though nowhere near as powerful as he, individually. Of course, when it is three on one, the power of the one isn't as great in comparison…

Then, out of the blue, Cassus' voice breaks through the melee, "Jump my Lord!" Dooku complies instantly, leaping high into the air, and just missing the barrage of missiles that rain down around the Death Witches. Dooku, still ascending, senses it immediately. Smiling, Dooku uses the moment to push himself higher up in the air. Down on the ground, the missiles open their compartments to reveal tightly packed Ysalamiri. The Nubians have only a second to realize what is going on before full automatic machine guns open up on them. Without the aid of Aether and with the use of metal projectile slugs, the Nubians are quickly cut down. Up above, Dooku reaches the apex of his ascent when Cassus comes roaring in with a jetpack, catching Dooku and safely carrying him to the ground below. When they land, Cassus presses a button on his gauntlet and the Ysalamiri missiles explode. Cassus turns to Dooku and shrugs. "No sense in letting the Nubians get their hands on our tech." Dooku nods and then makes his way into the fortress with Cassus following. Surprisingly there are no Bando Gora demons here, probably because the Death Witches didn't want to take the chance of the demons turning on them. As the two make their way deeper into the layer, Cassus' comm. buzzes. He glances at it, then actives it. "Report."

A one foot tall Mandalorian salutes him. "Commander Cassus, the Bando Gora, they are going absolutely shabla. One moment they were making coordinated assaults on our extraction craft, the next minute they killing each other."

Cassus nods, "Lord Dooku and I took out the enemy controllers. We are about to finish of the last enemy officer still alive. How long until all the soldiers are off the moon?"

"About twenty minutes. We are loading the last of the equipment onboard the transports now."

Dooku takes over now. "When you are done, have a LAAT land at these coordinates. We will be waiting." The trooper salutes and then vanishes. The rest of the walk down to the lowest levels is quiet.

After walking through the last door, the two see what they expected. A large Iridonian stands over a terminal, his fingers flying over the keyboard, streams of data flashing across the screen. Before either Revanchist or Mandalorian can make a move, the Zabrak powers down the terminal and takes a disk out. He then destroys the terminal with a blast of Force-Lightning. Turning to face the two intruders, the Zabrak smiles evilly. "Welcome Son of the Force, Sar Dooku, and Son of Mandalore, Cassus Fett. I see that you got past the Furies. No matter. I have what I need." Dooku, sensing the Zabrak's next move, pours Aether into his legs, preparing for the next attack. Down below, the Zabrak ignites his crimson blade. "I, Lupine Vex, shall be your doom!" With that Lupine launches himself at Dooku. Dooku responses with Force Lightning, only for Lupine to absorb it and crash into him. Delivering a swift kick, Lupine gets under Dooku's guard and throws him to the chamber below. Before Cassus can get a shot of, Lupine grabs him with Force Choke and throws him down as well. Lupine then turns tail and runs.

Cursing, Dooku leaps to his feet and gives chase to the fleeing Bando Gora commander with Cassus a foot or so behind him. _'What an idiot I am. Of course he doesn't want to fight. Who would want to fight with millions of insane infected Bando Gora demons running around? Whatever is in that data disk is important.'_ "Cassus," Dooku calls back to the Mandalorian.

"Yes my Lord?" Dooku quickly explains his plan, and Cassus nods. "It will be done." The two split up then, Cassus heading one way, Dooku continuing to tail Lupine. As he does Dooku tries to slow down the Zabrak any way he can, but quickly finds that the Zabrak's command of Aether is only a little less then his own. As such, Lupine makes it out of the fortress first. When Dooku exist the fortress, he stops, his heart beating faster as terror fills him. At the Zabark's back are millions of Bando Gora demons in and around the fortress. Somehow Lupine had managed to get them under his control. Worse, the bodies of the three Furies were up and moving. "Why can't the dead stay dead?" Dooku half mutters half whines.

Lupine gives him a mocking bow. "Well, this is goodbye Count. It was fun. Enjoy being torn apart." A ship uncloaks and lowers a rope. Lupine latches on, is pulled up, and the hatch resealed. The ship then blasts off as the Bando Gora mind slaves start their rush toward Dooku. Cursing Lupine, Dooku unleashes wave after wave of Force Storms. Fortunately for him the Bando Gora are susceptible to heat. They practically bust into flames when a single attack of Force Lightning his them, and the Force Storms take out huge sections, creating a mass pyre. Unfortunately for Dooku he can't kill them fast enough and the Force Storms take out a huge amount of energy. Still, his attacks have served their purpose as waves of LAATs descend upon the area with the Bando Gora, raking them with blistering fire. Because the Bando Gora fight only with their hands or melee weapons, the LAATs are safe. One drops low and opens its door, allowing Dooku to jump to safety. Once he is on board, the LAATs leave, just as the capital ships in orbit reign down a plasma holocaust on the Bando Gora.

As Dooku's LAAT leaves the atmosphere of Kohlma, he sinks into a chair, exhausted. He is not a young man, and it seems that the duties required of him will grow ever more. "Why did I ever let Yoda talk me into joining the Order in the first place?" Dooku mutters to himself. "So much time wasted."

**Jango Fett, Kamino**

It was surprisingly quick. All the Kaminoans had to extract was a small amount of blood from him and the Clone Army could be produced. It was both amazing, and somewhat anti-climatic. When Dooku had come to him in Komari Vosa's chambers, he spent a good deal of time explaining the plan of the Force, how he, Jango Fett, would be the father of a new Mandalorian Empire, of how the ancient enemies of the Mandalorians, the Krath, were rising up again. Dooku had said many things to Jango, and Jango believed them. Dooku could have destroyed Jango and his army at Galidraan. He could have, had he followed his orders. Only, he hadn't. Why? Dooku had given a simple answer, the Force had plans for Jango. And Jango could see it. All that Dooku had spoken of, it fit with what he knew, and what his sources had told him. So he agreed to help, on once condition. That condition had already been settled and in nine months he and Zam would have a perfect baby, one who would take after both his parents.

Waiting outside is Zam Wessel, his partner and conspirator. Smiling at him, she links there arms together and they stroll down the insanely white corridors of clone factory. They walk silently, still somewhat scarred by the events of the Great Hunt where Montross had nearly raped Zam before Jango could kill him. That was merely the personal terror, in addition to the impersonal terror of the Bando Gora. Zam and Jango had never really believed in evil before the Great Hunt. It was merely survival of the fittest. But the Bando Gora, there was something sinister to the drug, the poison that they manufactured, spread about. It corrupted life, and the newest version, released shortly after Komari Vosa's death, could even corrupt the dead. After facing the full fury of that, that force, Zam and Jango are beginning to wonder if the message the Good Samaritans have been preaching isn't as foolish as they once thought.

Regardless, they have made it out alive. The coffers of the True Mandalorians have never been fuller, and a son has been delivered to them where it would have otherwise been impossible. They are content. When they are bit older, a bit wiser, they will look back on this moment and see just how naïve they are.

Their blissful moment is suddenly interrupted by an incoming call, which Jango answers. He reverts to his native language for a few minutes then hangs up. "Interesting." He mumbles. When he sees Zam's inquisitive look he answers. "Kal Skirata is here. He apparently brought along two passenger who the Order of my employer wants me to train."

Zam waits for him to elaborate. When he does not she prompts him by saying, "And these two passengers are how old?"

Jango grimaces. "Six and eight years old."

It is raining outside, then again it is always raining. So when Jango and Zam step outside to meet Skirata, they are approached by a different man. The man gives them a slight bow then proceeds to introduce himself. "Greetings, I am Pakota, the Knight of Six. I will be assisting you in the training of the Clone Army, as well as two of the future officers of that army." At this he gestures over his shoulder to two children, standing next to the landing craft, squabbling about something.

Behind the mask Jango raises an eyebrow. "And what precisely qualifies these children to be officers in the army I have helped spawn? Unless these are Mandalorian children, I don't see them being all that effective."

Pakota smirks and motions for them to follow him. Zam and Jango exchange a look, but follow. As the three near the children, the argument becomes clear.

"No you aren't going to beat me to that post. I am two years older then you, and a better fighter." The eight year old boy states, with all the confidence of a Socratic philosopher.

The girl, equally mature in her rebuttal, sticks out her tongue at him. "No way! I am going to beat you. I am the one with the good genes from my father. Yours is just a mongrel." That nearly starts a fistfight before Pakota sighs, and much to Jango's surprise, shoots out two water tentacles from his body, wrapping themselves around the children, picking them up, and then holding them over the edge of the platform. Amazingly the children are still trying to fight, throwing punches at each other while they dangle over the chaotic sea below.

Pakota turns to Jango and sighs once more. "They are stubborn." Pakota turns back to the children and moves his water tentacles so that the two are facing him now. "Children," he speaks in a mild voice, though one filled with warning. The two children stop their arguing, and look a little downcast, knowing a punishment is coming. "Children, please introduce yourselves to Mandalore Jango Fett and his consort, Zam Wessell. Afterwards we shall discuss the consequence of your undignificed behavior.

The two children nod, and Pakota lets them down on the platoform. The boy steps up to Jango and Zam. "Greetings Mandalore. I am Sokka Norwattri. When I am old enough, I will be Lord Leviathan, Admiral of Britannia!"

The girl then shoves Sokka out of the way and steps up to Jango. "I am Azula Agni. And when I am old enough I will be Lady Enel, Admiral of Britannia." She smiles in a devious way that would, if she was a good twenty years older, make Jango flee just in case she sought to seduce him.

Pakota sighs one final time before clasping Jango's shoulder. "We are in for a exhausting decade my friend." Without further comment he takes the two children by the scruff of their necks and walks inside the city. Jango turns to Skirata who merely shrugs and follows Pakota inside. Jango starts to say something, then thinks better of it, and he and Zam follow the four inside and out of the rain.

**Pamde Amidala, Royal Palace, planet Yami.**

"Hey, Spikes!" A call echoes across the hanger bay, causing many of the weaker Nubians to run for cover. The recipient of the call, Lupine Vex, turns and studies the origin of the name with yellow eyes. Striding toward him is Gavyn Sykes Aerospace Commander of the Holy Nubian Empire. Smirking, and not acting like the weaker Nubians fear he might, Lupine raises his right hand, and clasps Gavyn's hand when they get in range. "Hail to the true Dark Lord." Gavyn utters the usual greeting among the Krath.

"Hail to the true Dark Lord. The Empress of the Holy Nubian Empire, the Night Queen of the Clans, and the first true successor to Lord and Lady Satal and Aleema Keto, Padme Amidala." Lupine releases Gavyn's hand, turning to head deeper inside the palace. "It seems that the Mistress desires both of us to make our reports. Though I am sure yours is merely superfluous." The Zabrak grins maliciously at his fellow Krath.

But Gavyn does not take offense. "Yeah. Not only did I not complete my mission of sucking Taris dry, but you failed to keep the witches, all four of them, alive. I think the Empress liked Vosa. She won't be happy now that the crazy witch is dead." The two Krath pass several Death Witches who scowl at Gavyn for making those kinds of remarks. Of course all they do is scowl. _'Sometimes it pays to be Aerospace Commander.'_ Gavyn snickers at this, continuing on his way with Lupine.

Soon though, all humor dies as they near the chambers of their Empress. Though exceptionally young, the Dark Side had blessed Padme Amidala, enabling her meteoric rise through the ranks of the Krath. The exile from Naboo only increased her stature among the Krath as now Padme was seen as a very sympathetic figure in the Republic, allowing Krath agents more opportunities then ever before to infiltrate the galactic government. It also did not hurt that no one was more vicious in eliminating rivals then Amidala. After the pair enter through one more door way, they come face to face with the Empress. Prostrating themselves before their sovereign, the two Krath wait for the Empress to acknowledge their presence. Amidala takes her time, conversing softly with a shrouded figure. It takes nearly half an hour for her to finish with the cloaked figure, though the two Krath endure the discomfort of prostrating themselves silently. No pain is worse then interrupting the Empress. Finally Amidala acknowledges their presence. "Rise." The pair obey. Amidala spends a moment or two simply studying them before motioning Gavyn to make his report.

Half an hour later, Gavyn has reported all the relevant facts of the Battle of Teutoburg Pass. Stepping aside, Gavyn watches Lupine make his report. "My mistress," the Iridonian, begins, "Komari Vosa is dead." Amidala's gaze hardens at this, causing Lupine to hasten his report. "Sadly, the Bando Gora demons she created out of the rejects of the galaxy have lost all usefulness they once had. They room Kohlma, or what is left of it, killing whatever they find. Perhaps Dooku and his Mandalorian army have killed them all, but I would doubt it."

He stops as Amidala makes a gesture. "And the formula? You managed to retrieve it." It is not a question.

Lupine nods gravely, stepping forward to present her with the data disk. "All the work Vosa had is on this disk. The power to make a slave army is yours, my Mistress."

Amidala reaches out, and grasps the disk. Chuckling, she places it in a secret compartment of her throne. "Much more then the power to create an army, my dear assassin. Vosa never really understood the true power that she played with. She built herself a little cult, and maybe, had she lived, she would have done some damage. But she never saw the true power, never grasped what it might mean. As useful as she was, Vosa was a fool." Amidala casts her gaze back at Lupine. "I will not censure you for her death, assassin. Her death was unavoidable, and perhaps just as well. The army that will arise out of her death will serve me in time. As such, I have a reward for you." At the unspoken command, a small Iridonian child emerges out of the shadow. Compared to the giant Lupine, the child is a dwarf. But Lupine and Gavyn can see the power in him, a power that needs a master. "My deal assassin, meet your new apprentice, Savage Oppress."

**Ahsoka, Teth**

They finally had released her. It had been six months since the Knights of Britannia had betrayed her. She thought that they had saved her from death, only to deliver her into the hands of a being who knew nothing of mercy. For sixth months Ahsoka had lived under the surgeon's lights as Demagol the Insane, the supposed descendent of the famous Mandalorian, inflicted wave after wave after wave of pain on her. Demagol brought her to her limits more times then she could remember, then broke through each and every one of them. Many times Ahsoka had cried out, begging the Force to kill her, to take her life. Anything to stop the horrible pain.

In the end, Ahsoka supposes that she won. She never gave Demagol what he wanted. And so here she is, a broken shell of her former self, dumped into the slave quarters not ten minutes ago, and already the predators are closing in, ready to devour her. Fine. Let it end. She has nothing left to live for.

Fate, Destiny, the Force, whatever, seems to have a different plan. As one of the predators closes in, a hand shoots out from the shadows, grabbing the back of its head. The hand squeezes, and crushes the head like an overripe piece of fruit. With brain matter leaking out of the dead corpse, the other predators quickly make themselves scarce as the apex predator of Avarus the Hutt's gladiators makes herself know. With dead eyes, Ahsoka gazes up at her savior, and her condemner. "Oh, its you. What do you want?"

Karren merely smiles down at Ahsoka Tano. "No little one. I want nothing from you, save to see you fulfill your destiny."

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**Author's Note:**

** And so ends the prologue for Twilight of the New Order. Kind of a cliffhanger, but I needed to wrap it up. Okay, so Ahsoka has been tortured for about half a year. I didn't go into it in great detail here, but trust me, it has screwed her up big time. Also, Karren, the Knight of Two, is now on the scene, though why is she there? As for Count Dooku, in this version he is just playing along, acting like the loyal apprentice. His real master is someone else, but more on that master later. As in the Canon, Jango is the progenitor of the clone army. Things are a bit different this time around. For one he and Zam are together. For another he has an entire army. Its almost like the Battle of Galidraan never happened. Almost, but more on that later. And we finally know who is behind the Holy Nubian Empire, the Krath. For those who are not in the know the Krath were a Sith Cult that originated in the Empress Teta System, in the Deep Core, as in further coreward then Coruscant. They were infiltrated by a Jedi named Ulic Qel-Droma who subsequently fell to the Dark Side, took over the Krath, defeated Mandalore, and joined up with Exar Kun. That isn't what happened here. The Krath were defeated at the end of the Great Sith War, but Ulic never joined. Neither did the Mandalorians, but that will be explained later. Anyway, the Krath went into exile and spent a few years wandering the universe until they found a planet with no humans on it and only a few pesky swamp people. Guess what planet that was. But that is enough information for now. I won't update for at least two weeks. I need to work on my school work. So I hope this tides you over. Till next time. **

**Reply to Reviewers**

**Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay: Yes, I was a little torn over who would be Anakin/Vader's master. There were a few candidates, but Qui-Gon won out in the end. I am not sure what role he will play in the story, but he will be around in some form. And yes, the Jedi are stupid. That is what happens when you make the acquisition of power the basis of your world view. As for killing a Hutt, well that isn't in the cards for a while. Avarus will be punished for its crimes, but not in the way you might think. The first Hutt death will be a big one though. **

**Blackrose: I am glad you like it. More will be coming, I assure you.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, not Karren or any of the Star Wars guys. Only my OCs. **


	6. Scarred Slave

**Okay, here it is, the main story. Ahsoka hasn't got much screen time before now, but I had to set up the storyline. Now I will be focusing almost exclusively on her. This is the first arc of the story, Gradual Enslavement. Hope you enjoy.**

"**To Avarus the Hutt you aren't worth anything more than the last credit he can wring out of you. Don't deceive yourself into thinking anything else. Any deal you make with him will have so many conditions in place that it will take you 25,000 years to fulfill them all."**

**Karren Kozuki to Ahsoka Tano undergoing the initiation process of being Avarus' gladiator

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**Twilight of the New Order**

**Scarred Slave

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**The labs of Demagol, ATR 3,618 (32 BBY)**

**Flashback **

Ahsoka only slowly begins to regain consciousness. Kalo Poder's mastery of Aether makes it so that when he puts someone to sleep, they will stay asleep for a good long time. Still, even Kalo's powers last only so long. Now awakening, Ahsoka feels strange sensations. The air, it is crackling. Her body feels cold. Her clothes…. she doesn't feel them. Eyes flying open in alarm, Ahsoka tries to rise up from her horizontal position, only to no avail. Thick leader straps crisscross her naked body, ensuring that she can barely wiggle, let alone get up.

Before Ahsoka can register anything else, a low chuckling fills the room where she is trapped. Something about the chuckling causes her blood to freeze, and she desists in his struggles. As soon as she does she hears the sounds footsteps drawing ever closer. Fear grips her mind as she recalls some of the horror stories young girls like her had told to her master when he visited the Outer Rim during the early years of her apprenticeship. She had been horrified when she heard the tales, and saw the faces. To think that the Knights of Britannia would inflict this on her…

**{Isn't that interesting?}** The voice rings out in her head, the suddenness of the intrusion shocking Ahsoka from her previous line of thinking. Could the voice really… **{Read your mind? Yes my dear. I can read your mind and what a delicious little mind it is. Oh would Avarus would give to know that Kalo Poder is really the Knight of Three, and that all the slaves he has sold to that Hutt are either criminals or double agents. How amusing.}**

Recomposing herself now that she knows the source of the voice, if not the form, Ahsoka tries to reestablish her position. "Get out of my head." She is suddenly seized with pain, the like of which she has never known, not even when Lord Windu would use Force Lightning on her when she was younger and master less. For what felt like an eternity, though was only a few seconds, Ahsoka is subjected to mind-collapsing pain. Finally, mercifully, it subsides. As the pain leaves her, Ahsoka pants, her body slick with sweat cause by her pain and fear. Only now does the torturer reveal himself.

**{You are not in a position to demand anything, young slave.}** The speaker is a tall near-human, though Ahsoka is unable to determine the exact species as the speaker is covered fully in armor. In the end she supposes it does not matter. The mask man, picking up on her thoughts, nods. **{You show a little wisdom Ahsoka Tano. It matters not what blood runs through my veins, or if I even have blood. All that matters is my power, my complete and utter control over the situation, and my willingness to spare you pain. For the foreseeable future, I am the one who decides how much you suffer.}**

Ahsoka, still suffering from the pain the torturer had given her, realizes that she can feel the Force. Reaching out, she takes a hold of its power, only for the torturer to slam a psychic fist into her midsection. This time the attack not only brings about physical pain, but spiritual as well as Ahsoka's soul is battered by powerful waves of Dark Side energies. This time around, Ahsoka is prepared for the pain, or so she thinks. But the torturer is gifted in his field, and there is nothing in Ahsoka's mind that can prepare her for the hell that she has been plunged into.

Five minutes later, Ahsoka is nearly comatose. Her mind is overwhelmed by pain inflicted upon her by this dark entity. So outclassed is she that she feels like an ant shouting at a hurricane. She realizes that there is nothing she can do, nothing except try and survive. She is only glad that Master Plo Koon is not here.

Hearing her thoughts, the torturer reaches down, and after undoing the straps, raises her up by the neck. He has retracted part of his mask, revealing blood red eyes. As Ahsoka stares into those eyes, those deep dark abysses, she realizes that she is not going to escape this hell without significant damage to herself. **{Again you show some wisdom little Ahsoka.}** The man's thoughts boom inside her head. **{Know now that your suffering will not cease until you give me what I want. Until you do, I will devote my life to breaking you. You can save yourself a great deal of pain by giving me what I want now, but I find it amusing to see you suffer, so I shall withhold the question for now.}** The man squeezes, sending another wave of force energy into the young girl. His target this time is not her body, but her spirit, the luminous light of her soul. **{Know that I, Demagloe, will throw you into a living nightmare, a hell beyond all your pitiful reckoning. Let the symphony of your screams begin!} **And Ahsoka screamed and screamed and screamed…

**End of Flashback**

**Slave Quarters of Avarus the Hutt, ATR 3,619 (31 BBY)**

"Oh, its you. What do you want?"

Karren merely smiles down at Ahsoka Tano. "No little one. I want nothing from you, save to see you fulfill your destiny."

Ahsoka gazes into Karren's eyes, and feels something light in her. The fire, extinguished by Demagol during the six months in which he had hurt her in every way physically and spiritually possible, save, strangely, for the traditional raping. The fire inside her soul, once based on a desire to succeed, is revived, and fueled by hate. Oh how Ahsoka hates the woman standing before her. She hates because she is afraid, afraid of what this woman might do to her in the future. Strange, a part of her wonders. The Knight of Two had never so much as raised her hand against Ahsoka, yet by her and her compatriots' actions, Ahsoka has been irrevocably changed. Sadly, Ahsoka is trapped in a Ysalamiri zone. She cannot call on the Force. But she doesn't need to. Her hate will serve just fine for the moment.

Leaping at Karren with a speed that surprises the Knight of Two, Ahsoka nearly gets her hands around the older woman's neck. The key word being "nearly". Ahsoka does not even see Karren move, let alone the ground as she is slammed face first into the hard stone. Any other being would be knocked out by the sudden attack, or at the very least stunned. Ahsoka though has spent the last six months being bathed in pain for hours, sometimes days on end with no respite. Pain is her ally now, and only serves to further anger her. Unfortunately Karren is a warrior a thousand fold greater then Ahsoka, and with the power of a hundred fully trained Jedi Knights, even here in the Ysalamiri field. It also doesn't hurt that the hand she is using to hold Ahsoka down is a powerful cybernetic one.

"Chaos take that man!" Karren hisses as she uses her right hand to hold Ahsoka. "And you young lady, calm down." When Ahsoka makes no effort to obey the older woman, Karren loses her patience. "I said CALM DOWN!" Karren grabs Ahsoka by the shoulder, flipping her up and forcing her to the wall. Karren brings up her foot, placing it on Ahsoka's sternum. Applying just enough pressure, Karren keeps Ahsoka pinned against the wall as she activates her Britannian Battle Meditation. Ahsoka is instantly seized with terror as the looming figure of Demagol appears in Karren's place. Karren applies more power to the BBM, pushing Ahsoka further away from her rage and more into terror. After a minute Karren steps back and shuts down her BBM. Ahsoka does not try to attack again. Instead she is curdled up in ball, tears streaming down her eyes as she struggles to gain control of herself. Upon seeing this Karren is hit with a wave of self-revulsion. _'Chaos take Padme Amidala! That Krath witch sent that fiend and did this. I should have known something was off when Kalo made his report that Avarus made no effort to bargain for Ahsoka. Demagol will PAY for this, this transgression! Once the Gurren is competed I will not rest until I have his HEAD!'_ Karren's inner thoughts are interrupted by the sounds of Ahsoka stumbling to her feet. This time the young girl, _'So young, and look how dead her eyes are.'_ Karren thinks to herself as Ahsoka struggles to stand, not even trying to strike at the Knight of Two.

Raising an accusatory finger, Ahsoka croaks out, "You, you betrayed me, Karren Kozuki. You delivered me into the hands of that, that thing. Do you know what he did to me? What that man put me through! DO YOU! "

Karren narrows her eyes in anger, though not at Ahsoka. _'Clearly the damage done to her by Demagol is greater than I thought. The Dark Side is filling her with its malevolence. If I don't calm her down soon…'_ "I am aware of what a master torturer like Demagol can do. Do not think you are the only one who has experienced horrors of the kind he is capable of inflicting. But I need you to calm down Ahsoka. I promise you that I will explain everything."

Karren, whose greatest talent is being able to insert herself into any given battle and turn the tide in favor of those she wishes to win, is not equipped to deal with Ahsoka right now. She sees so now. _'Why couldn't Zero be here…'_ She half whines as Ahsoka explodes.

"Explain! I don't want you to explain anything to me! I want you dead! DEAD! YOU AND EVERY OTHER KNIGHT OF …" Before Ahsoka can complete her exclamation Karren vanishes. Ahsoka blinks, caught off guard by this. Suddenly she feels two strong arms slide over her midsection, and a soft voice whisper flutters into her ears.

"Ahsoka, you will calm down. If not voluntarily, then I will show you why you need to hear what I have to say." Ahsoka's eyes widen as she fills the power of the force fill her and the space around her.

'_Impossible! The Ysalamiri…'_ but the thought is drowned by the roar of power.

**Aetherverse**

Ahsoka's eyes fly open. Without wasting any time she rolls away from her position, rising in a battle crouch. As it turns out there is no need. The only being in the area is Karren. Now decked out in her Knight of Two robes, Karren is a mass of reds and crimsons. In her hand she holds a battle ax, on her hip a large ornate sword. She studies Ahsoka with interest as well. "That is interesting. It seems that you see yourself in an unusual fashion." Ahsoka looks down at herself, finding ragy clothes draped on her. Before she can utter a word Karren explains. "This is the Aethervese, a realm where the massive power of Aether flows and those who use Aether can meet, even if they are opposite sides of the galaxy. Whenever a being enters this place, they appear as how they view themselves. For example you see me wearing crimson robes, that is a symbol of the blood that I have spilled in my life, either in the pursuit of Justice or in my younger, uncontrollable days. It also indicates a certain level of passion, not for one specific area but for life in general." She lifts up the battle ax. "This symbolizes my desire to level the playing field, my distaste for the Hutts who take and take and take all and never give anything back to their slaves. The sword at my hip shows that while I value wealth, I do not let it corrupt me." She pauses to study Ahsoka again. "You, you on the other hand are hurt, angry, and filled with so much hate."

Ahsoka snorts, deciding to not fight Karren at this point seeing as Karren obviously possesses enough power to crush her outright. Better to be calm and listen to what she has to say. Still she cannot help but take a slightly belligerent tone, "Can you blame me?"

Karren surprises her by shaking her head. "No, though you hate will destroy you if you do not let go of it. So many revolutions have been committed throughout history, but how many of them ever bring the people what they truly desire? Be careful Ahsoka that you are not consumed. But I did not bring you here to lecture you. I came to show you the dangers of not accepting my help."

Ahsoka takes a step back, recalling training lessons given to her by her master. Although unarmed, Ahsoka burns with hate for the woman standing before her, and unlike in the Palace, she can use the Force here. "Threats won't gain my cooperation." Ahsoka retorts. Ahsoka begins to bring the Force energy into her, to build it up for a massive strike.

Karren just smiles at Ahsoka, and her attempts to launch a sneak attack. "I am not threatening you Ahsoka. I am testifying to the truth, and the truth is that you have nothing to worry about from me. It is the monster behind you that want to worry about."

Ahsoka whirls just in time for two large hands to clasp around her neck. Being lifted up into the air, Ahsoka stares into yellow eyes, though she feels no pain, even as the gigantic hands squeeze. "What illusion is this Demagol?" The monster roars with rage. Ahsoka, her neck unbroken though by all rights it should be, unleashes the Force energy she had been gathering in the form of Force Lightning. The monster releases her, roaring in pain as the electricity courses through its body. Ahsoka takes the opportunity to leap away, her movements swifter in the strange world. Unfortunately she is stopped short by the vice like grip of the monster's own Force powers. Before she can respond, Ahsoka is hurtled into the air then hurtled back toward the ground. She slams into the ground hard, hard enough to break bones, though once again she does not feel any pain.

_'Maybe I'll give Karren a chance.'_ Ahsoka muses as she is pulled back toward the monster, this time hovering a few feet away. Before the monster can speak again, Ahsoka lashes out with the force, managing to get under the monster's guard and hurtling him back. Eyes glowing now with the power of the Dark Side, Ahsoka unleashes all of her hate, anger, and fear. This power, combined with the power she now feels being fed to her by Karren, allow her to dominate the monster. Picking up her attacker with telekinesis, she slams him repeatedly into the walls and ceiling, feeling an almost indecent surge of bloodthirsty joy. "At last! After months of being Demagol's pawn, I HAVE POWER!" Ahsoka cries out, her laughter unconsciously being laced with force energy, further damaging the monster, who she now recognizes as an exceptionally large Zabrak.

Upon hearing her, the Zabrak's own rage ignites. With eyes as yellow as hers, he gathers the force and then releases it, breaking her grasp on him. "So you are the pup that has occupied Demagol's attention for so long." He growls. Closing his eyes, Ahsoka watches him gather force energy. Suddenly a lightsaber appears in his hand. Take it he ignites the blade, a deep crimson. "Demagole that swine! He exiled me, exiled me to this pit! Lady Talzin, she was deceived by him! My sons now are being raised by hands not my own! I swore to the Dark Side that I would do anything, pay any price, to be free. Now, for the first time since my captivity my prayers have been answered." The Zabrak looks around, gazing fondly at this realm. "This, this is where I shall be free." He turns his attention back to Ahsoka, his gaze hardening, "I, Bekriegen Oppress, shall have your head!" Bekriegen leaps forward, only to hit an invisible wall. Out of nowhere a massive metallic hand materializes around Bekriegen, trapping the dark warrior in its grip.

"That is enough Bekriegen. You have served your purpose." A voice from above echoes. Ahsoka turns to see an immense crimson metallic being appear. The being lifts Bekriegen up until he is face to face with his captor. "Death has come for you Bekriegen. Forget all that has transpired here. Your destiny in nigh." The hand that holds Bekriegen begins to glow, and even on the ground Ahsoka flinches, feeling pain for the first time. Bekriegen only has time to scream before he vanishes. When he is gone, the being turns to gaze upon Ahsoka, its face transforming into that of Karren's. "So do you understand the lesson here young one?"

Ahsoka nods, releasing the power she has called forth. "I won only because of the Force. Had the Force not taken all the pain I would have felt, Bekriegen would have defeated me. Lesson then is this: with the Force I am victorious, without it I am dead."

Karren continues to gaze down at Ahsoka, not saying anything, causing Ahsoka to guess she missed the lesson. "We will have a hard time with you." Karren sighs after a moment of silence. "For the moment that will do. Now, are you willing to be my student? To let me teach you all that the Force wills?"

Ahsoka turns and gazes over the damage to this world. Already it is beginning to heal, and soon it will be as if the battle had never taken place. Turning back to face Karren, Ahsoka nods and then shakes her head. "I will accept your battle techniques, but nothing else. I, I have experienced too much to believe any of the teachings you would have for me."

Karren nods and turns away from Ahsoka. "For what it is worth, I am sorry. I only hope that time will reveal to you that what I say is the truth, and that if you do not follow them you will either be consumed by despair or become like that man you hate."

Karren takes only one more step before a powerful blast of Force Lightning hits her in the back. Stopping, she turns to see Ahsoka, her eyes a dark yellow from the influence of the Dark Side, her whole body convulsing with rage. "How dare you suggest I am anything like that man!" Ahsoka howls, firing another blast of Force Lightning at Karren. Karren easily absorbs the energy, and waits for Ahsoka to continue speaking. "Do you what he did to me during those sixth months? What kind of tortures he put my body through! DO YOU! HOW DARE YOU EVEN THINK THAT I AM ANYTHING LIKE HIM!"

Karren raises an eyebrow then waves her hand. Instantly a mirror appears in front of Ahsoka, showing her her own image. "Yes, and you are so calm and serene right now. You didn't just strike a woman in the back with a powerful Force attack, and your eyes aren't a blazing yellow. Yes, you are nothing at all like Demagol. You may reject what I have to teach you, but if you are going to be blind to the truth it might be better for you to be put down now." At this Karren's voice acquires an edge, and Ahsoka realizes she is walking on thin ice. As such she abandons her aggressive stance, though she does not admit that Karren is right. She can't. If she does then she will have to admit to herself that Demagol managed to corrupt her, that he did win on some level and that is something she just can't do. She must be strong, and to be strong she must not face the truth. For to attain what she desires she needs all the strength she can muster. Seeing this, Karren nods. "Fine, deny the truth for right now if you must. But I tell you the truth Ahsoka, the longer you put it off the harder and harder it will be to deny, unless you sell your soul for power. Eventually there will come a time when you will be forced to confront the truth, and the longer you wait the more painful it will be for you." Having said that, Karren snaps her fingers, transporting the two of them out of the Aetherverse and back to their galaxy.

**Avarus' Palace, Bekriegen's Quaters**

"ARRGHHH!" Bekriegen cries out, his screams waking his concubines.

"Lord Bekriegen!" The more intelligent of the two, Tass Tod, runs out to fetch Bekriegen's personal physician. The other, Yevra, tries to tend to her lord, but her efforts are futile. By the time the doctor arrives, Bekriegen, once the most powerful gladiator of Avarus the Hutt, lies in a puddle of his own sweat and blood.

The two concubines retreat out of the room, giving the doctor and his assistance ample room to work. After a moment the group of medical beings lift the large Zabrak off the ground and take him to the operating room. As the two concubines watch their protector be carried away, they cannot help but shiver. "What will happen to us now?" Yevra murmurs.

Tass absentmindedly strokes her back, "I do not know. I just do not know." Inside, where no one can hear her, she wonders, _'Who will claim us now? Karren has shown absolutely no interest in us since she attained her status, let alone any of the male pleasure slaves she could claim. It is doubtful that she will take us in. Even if she does how can we provide her her dues? Please Lord Bekrienge, don't die. Don't die…'

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**Author's Note:**

** The life of a slave, so full of danger. Well this is the first chapter. I am not totally satisfied, but I still need to work on my paper. But I did not want to keep my promise. Anyway Ahsoka has been tortured for six months, which was not something that was supposed to happen, at least according to the Knights of Britannia's plan. The Krath are moving in the galaxy, and will soon be in a position to chalange the Order of Sith Lords. But more on that later. Next chapter I will explain the situation at Avarus and the gladiators which will be important for this arch and the next two. So, untill next time. **

**Reply to Reviewers**

**Blackrose: I am glad you like it. For the first part her training will be more physical. Right now Ahsoka is kind of agnostic. She isn't interested in the more ethical teachings of Karren. Of course there is a danger in that, but more on that later. I do hope I do not disappoint. As for Ahsoka's Kick ass ability it will be large. But more on that later. Anakin will not appear until Ahsoka's world has been completely turned upside down. So not for three arcs. I guess you can say that while Karren is Ahsoka's battle teacher, Anakin will be her moral teacher. **

**Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay: Q-1 is actually a character from Code Geass. She is basically the same as in CG, only her nationalism is transferred to Britannia rather then Japan. As for her abilities you have not seen anything yet. She is the Ace of Aces and when she gets the Gurren she will really shine. As for where this will take you, to the Core and beyond the Outer Rim.**

**C M: I have no idea why more people haven't reviewed. Still it is picking up and I am grateful. As for Ahsoka, well this is when she is starting to shine. Karren kind of dominated here, but next chapter Ahsoka begins to show you guys how much a devious little vixen she can be. As for Plo he is with the Knights of Britannia. He won't be showing up for a while but he is safe. Lets say that he is getting his feet wet against a future threat to the galaxy.**

**god of all: I intend to. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, not Karren or any of the Star Wars guys. Only my OCs. **


	7. Levels of Slavery

**Gradual Enslavement isn't going to be full of happy events. The first part of the chapter is rated M for violence, bloody violence. Just so all of you know, it you don't want to see Ahsoka go through horrible pain, skip past the flashback. Also, this is about as violent as I will go.**

**Gradual Enslavement chapters are as follow: Scarred Slave, Levels of Slavery, ****E Pluribus Unum****, Conniving Schutta, Second Cannae, Eye for an Eye, The Emperor of Desturction, The Final Barrier, Behold, I Make… Hope you enjoy.

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"**Salvation! Damnation! That was the only outcome of our battle. Either you would rule, or I would."**

**The Emperor of Destruction to the Lady of Manipulation

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**Twilight of the New Order**

**Levels of Slavery

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**The labs of Demagol, ATR 3,618 (32 BBY)**

**Flashback **

Ahsoka knew not the time, nor the day, nor the season. Her world was confined to this small room with no way to know how many days had passed, or if years had passed. All Ahsoka knew was pain. Physical pain was her constant companion. It, it was like a lover, always there, always cradling in its arms. Pain expected nothing from her, but gave her everything that it had. Her second companion on the other hand…

**{Will take all you posses my little Spitfire.}** Demagol intrudes on her thoughts regularly. He rarely gives her any privacy in her own head. It is a fact that she has come to accept, if not enjoy. **{You still have not given me what I desire. All you have to do is say four simple words, and mean them with all your heart. Then your torturous experience with me will end and you can embrace the Night and all of its glory!}**

Ahsoka turns her head to glare at her captor, her tormentor, her destroyer. Demagol regularly changes his clothes, sometimes using the force to make himself appear in another form. Today he appears as the Knight of One, Lord Zero of Britannia. Even though Ahsoka knows that it is not the actual Knight of One that stands before her, she cannot help but cringe, and since Demagol knows she is doing it she does not bother to hide it. Back when she was a youngling in the Jedi Temple her instructors had disciplined the children by telling them stories of the infamous Knight of One, of how he was an immortal demon-prince, descended from the first King of Britannia, of how he would drag Jedi down into his lair and strip their life-force from their bodies to fuel his own. Ahsoka had never really believed the story, especially since Master Plo Koon had informed her that Zero was merely a title passed on to each Knight of One. The original Zero, Lelouch vi Britannia died millennia ago. Still, in this place, the Liar of Demagol, fears that are irrational come to life.

Thinking of Master Koon steadies Ahsoka's spirit, and she lets lose a string of curses she had picked up listening to the lower classes while on tour in the Outer Rim. Demagol, if angered at all by her outburst, give no signs of it. He merely waits for her to finish. Once she is done he removes the mask of Zero, still keeping the face of the original Zero, Lelouch vi Britannia. Smirking, Demagol brings his right hand to his left eye. **{Lelouch vi Britannia commands you!}** He calls out as his powers take hold of Ahsoka, **{Suffer the fate of driftwood!}** Instantly the room vanishes, as does Ahsoka's bonds. In their place is a Tortuga size wood chipper…

"Demagol! DAMN YOU TO CHAOS!" Ahsoka howls as she is lowered down to the wood chipper. In her heart she knows that she is not actually being lowered into a wood chipper, only that Demagol is using his powers to deceive her mind into believe it. He has done similar things in the past, though never anything this drastic, and try as she might, Ahsoka is in no condition to do anything except scream in agony as her brain interprets signals that aren't really happening. "WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN DEMAGOL! I DON'T CARE IF I HAVE TO GO TO CHAOS MYSELF! YOU WILL BE DAMNED!" Verbally damning Demagol is all Ahsoka can do. Betrayed by the Knights of Britannia, targeted for execution by the Order of Jedi Lords, and separated from her beloved master by unknown distance, Ahsoka is all alone. Her hate is the only weapon she has left.

**{Even as you curse me you show how much like me you have become in these few short months little Spitfire. You shall make a powerful weapon in the hands of my Mistress when you are fully converted.}**

Ahsoka's toes are only a few feet from the blades now. It won't be long before she cannot even speak coherently. "I WILL NEVER SERVE YOUR MISTRESS! I DAMN HER AS WELL! I CURSE YOU, YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY, AND THAT DEVIL THAT YOU SERVE! WHOEVER SHE IS SHE WILL DIE BY MY HANDS! I SWEAR I.. ARRRGHH!" Ahsoka's furious damnation of Demagol and his master is cut short as her feet meet the blades. The blades of the imaginary wood chipper first take off her toes, quickly slicing them into smaller pieces before sucking them out. Soon the blades move onto the rest of her feet, the blades meeting with greater resistance here as the bone and muscle mass increase. "ARRGHH! DEMAGOL!" Ahsoka's cries echo throughout the chamber, her tears streaming down her cheeks, falling from her face and mixing with the blood spewing from her legs. Shortly thereafter the blades reach her knees. Ahsoka's cries triple as the blades don't cleanly cut through the thick bones, but hack at the mid points of her legs, jerking her side to side, causing her to slam into metal spikes placed on the sides of the wood chipper's entrance. Blood begins to flow into the imaginary machine from her sides as well, causing the young Tortuga even more pain.

**{You are a fool. The Queen of all Darkness won't be destroyed by a child such as yourself! A sword cannot kill its master of its own Will! Only another Will can cause the sword to hurt its master. But then you are still young. You will learn.}** Demagol chastises her.

"I HATE YOU!" Ahsoka's eyes are now pure golden as the Dark Side seeps into her, filling her up. "BY THE FORCE ALMIGHTY I HATE YOU!" The wood chipper coughs and sputters as it makes up to her hips…

**{Good! GOOD! Hate will save you! Hate will deliver you from my hand! Just say it! You no longer believe it in your heart of hearts! Why put yourself through anymore unnecessary pain?}** Demagol shouts with glee, pleased that Ahsoka is nearing the breaking point. To help her along Demagol adjusts the blades to send electrical surges through her body as well as hack it into pieces. The results are instantly discernable. Ahsoka's screams of agony triple as her party is assaulted on two fronts. But that is all she does, scream. She does not give him what he wants. **{WHY! WHY DO YOU REFUSE SALVATION! ADMIT IT! GIVE ME THE ANSWER AND GIVE IN TO THE FREEING POWER OF THE DARKNESS!}** Demagol roars after another minute of hearing Ahsoka scream.

Ahsoka, who had closed her eyes in response to the awesome pain, opens them now. By this time all of her body has been destroyed, save her head. Turning now as her head is lowered into the chipper, Demagol is stunned by the color of her eyes. Gone are the golden irises, now replaced by large black orbs. "I bow to no one…" Ahsoka utters before her head is ripped apart.

So shocked is Demagol by her words that he loses grasp of the illusion, transporting him and Ahsoka's minds back to the lab. As soon as they are both back in their bodies, alarms start going off as Ahsoka's body begins to shut down. Instantly medics and Force Healers rush into the room, pouring energy into the dying Tortuga, knowing that if she dies, the Queen of all Krath will feast on their souls. Standing back, Demagol allows his illusion to drop, revealing his true form. Snapping the restraints of his helmet off, Demagol removes the thing, showing himself to be a crimson near human. "Tell me honored grandfather, did Jarael give you nearly as much trouble as this one does me?" He asks to seemingly no one. Demagol tilts his head, as if hearing something, then sighs. "Fine." He then turns and leaves, hoping Ahsoka makes it, but not really caring if she doesn't. Survival of the fittest is the law of the universe afterall.

**End of Flashback**

**Slave Quarters of Avarus the Hutt, ATR 3,619 (31 BBY)**

"I hope you enjoyed the extra time in the Aetherverse my apprentice." Karren addresses Ahsoka with a curiosity that is barely hidden. "I must admit that I find your desire to learn about Avarus and the slaves here interesting. It is almost as if you have something more going on inside that little head of yours then simply learning how to fight." Karren casts a speculative eye on Ahsoka, but as is beginning to be the case she gets nothing merely from gazing on her face.

"I plan on usurping the Emperor of Destruction, the Madam, and Beamter in order to gain operational supremacy within Avarus' personal household." Ahsoka responds in a deadpan voice.

This causes Karren to stop in her tracks. She does a 180, facing Ahsoka. Karren looks deep into Ahsoka's eyes, and using Aether checks her statement. After a minute a small smile appears on Karren's face. "And what are you going to be when you grow up?"

Ahsoka pauses before answering, tilting her head to one side. After giving it some time, she responds, "I want to be a Dominator." Karren bursts out laughing at the response and turns back around.

"Don't ever let anyone say you don't dream Ahsoka." Karren keeps chuckling as they walk down a hallway to the top of the mesa. Since Karren is Karren she has everyone fearing her, so not even the guards they pass bother her. The duo walk in silence for the rest of trip, eventually making it to the top. Once outside Karren takes a moment to breathe in the fresh air. Ahsoka ignores the scenery and looks over the edge at how far the ground is from their current height. After another minute Karren stretches, and turns to Ahsoka. "Alright, it is time we get started." Ahsoka raises an eyebrow but does not interrupt. "First off you are a gladiator. That means you are going to have to fight and/or kill from now on." Ahsoka gives Karren a withering look which just bounces off the older female. "There are six stages of Gladiators. Stage one, that is where you are now, are fodder. They have no skills and are only useful to die in large numbers. As such they are exceedingly cheap. On the plus side they have the most freedom of the slaves here as no one really cares what they do so long as they don't try to escape, kill anyone else, or kill themselves.

"The second stagers are the first professional gladiator stage, though the low end. These are sentients that have shown themselves to have some skill, and are worth more then simple cannon fodder. Zweians work in teams of four to five with a Dreier in command. The Third Stagers are gladiators who have show competence in all areas of combat. They are lower medium in combat power and command squads of Zweians. The Fourth Stagers are the bread and butter of the gladiatorial games. This is where Avarus and his ilk make their money. Vierians are usually crowd favorites and will draw many thousands to see them clash with Einsers, Zweians, and Dreiers. If it is a Vierian on Vierian match the money will really start flowing.

"After the Vierians, there are the Funfers, the Fifth Stagers. These are high level gladiators, extremely skilled and extremely powerful. Any match with a Funfer is sure to draw big money. Funfers are also the only gladiators capable of walking away from a Sechsian alive. The second to last stage, the Sechsian or Sixth Stager are monsters. They are the stuff of legends. Avarus currently has only two Sechsians and even that is rare. Whenever a Sechsian appears in a match or even rumored to, the credits are poured into the Hutts' bank accounts by the cargo ship full."

Ahsoka whistles, though Karren is not sure whether or not she is being mocking. "Impressive. So, what is a Sebiener like?"

Karren chuckles. "Sebieners are the rarest. They are basically the same as Sechsians, but they have earned the trust of the Hutts and are no longer slaves. Any Sebieners that are alive usually work for their former master as an official of one sort or another. They rarely return to the ring, but draw enormous crowds when they do."

Ahsoka nods, then studies Karren. Karren, knowing what question Ahoska is about to ask, remains silent. "What level are you?" Karen smiles, holding up six fingers. Ahsoka raises her eyebrow in surprise. "A Sechsian? But how long have you been here?"

Karren shrugs. "I got here a short time after you did, maybe an hour or so. When you weren't anywhere to be found I knew something had gone horribly wrong. The Force wasn't giving me any answers so I went ahead with the original plan as best I could. You see I was to be a pleasure slave, and thus fall under the control of the Madam. But I managed to convince a slaver to help me out and one thing led to another. Eventually I was thrown into the beast's pit. Avarus expected me to die a flashy, gory death. The only problem was that they never checked my right hand." She holds up it, not fully recognizable as a mechanical hand. "I spent half an hour killing all of Avarus' little beasties with my bare hands. During the whole thing Avarus grew angrier and angrier. He eventually unleashed a rancor on me, but you know about my power?" Ahsoka nods. "Well I turned it on which caused the Rancor to become so terrified it burrowed through the wall and plummeted to its death on the ground below. After that I was made into a Sechsian and have been fighting ever since." Ahsoka just stares at Karren for a minute before looking back over the side of the cliff. Now that Karren mentions it, there is a large pile of bones right below her…

Sighing, Ahsoka walks away from the edge of the mesa. _'Okay, whatever. Time to move on to more important things.'_ "So, Karren, can we go to the dining hall? I haven't eaten all day." _'Wow, what an incredibly weak lie.'_ Ahsoka muses to herself as Karren raises an eyebrow. Surprisingly Karren does not call her on it, but instead makes her way back inside the palace. Sighing with relief, Ahsoka follows.

**The Slave Dinning Hall**

"I hate that woman." A large teenager growls over his glass of water. The teenager's compatriots nod in sympathy, real or otherwise, as they listen to him. They really have no choice in the matter. The teenager in question, Zulor Dorei, is their leader and a Dreier while they are Zweians. "She took my mate, stripped her, bound her, and had her violated in every conceivable way, all the while forcing me to watch, helpless, bound, and gagged while she murdered the only person I cared about in this Chaos-pit." Zulor drains the glass of water, ignoring the slimy taste and feel as he pours the contents down his throat. "Damn that woman…" Beside him, one of the Zweians starts to speak but Zulor raises a fist, commanding them to be silent. They do so immediately, giving Zulor the quiet he needs to study something, unexpected. Out of the coner of his eye he had seen Karren Kozuki, the legendary Sechsian who had arrived six months ago, and in one night had risen from a condemned dancer to the equal of the Emperor of Destruction, Bekriegen. What is truly fascinating about her is that she is with someone, a young Tortuga by the looks of it. _'Strange.'_ Zulor muses to himself. _'Why is she with a Tortuga. Can the Tortuga be…'_ He shudders at the thought of that man, Demagol. _'It can't be! She can't be alive, not after spending that long with Demagol! But if she is…'_ Zulor trails off as the two females pause midway on the platform, looking down on the lesser beings.

**The catwalk**

Karren turns and gives her apprentice a sardonic look. "Here it is, the slave dinning hall. See any juicy treats you can't wait to devour?" Karren of course knows why Ahsoka is here. She is looking for one man in particular. And wonder of wonders, the man is looking up at them. Noticing Zulor, Karren nudges Ahsoka. "He is powerful. One of the top level Dreiers, slated to be promoted soon. All he needs is one more victory. In fact, the next match is one where you will be competing. Do you plan on killing him to show Avarus your power?" Karren questions, interesting in the answer.

Ahsoka snorts, taking her time to both answer and to study Zulor Dorei. "Hardly. I need him alive. I cannot dominate those who need to be dominate if I have to constantly watch my back. He will be a useful Knight protecting his Lady."

Karren rolls her eyes, exasperated by Ahsoka's cold demeanor. "Has anyone ever told you what a cold, conniving schutta you have become?"

Karren didn't expect an answer, but got one. "Yes. You just told me." Ahsoka deadpans. Karren resists the urge to smack her upside the head, mostly because it would be undignified for a woman of her stature to do so in public. Placing her hand on Ahsoka's shoulder, Karren connects their Aether Fields, a type of energy aura that surrounds their bodies, together.

**{Just wait until we are alone young one. Your first workout is going to be brutal.}**

Ahsoka ignores the message, instead focusing on Zulor, who now focuses solely on her. In this moment something is born between them. It is not love, it is not friendship, it is something, darker, something more sinister. Unfortunately Ahsoka does not have the time to reflect on this new development as the catwalk begins to shake, breaking her concentration. She turns to the source of the vibrations, sneering as her eyes behold the monster, Lord Bekriegen. The Zabrak is surrounded by his vassals, Dreiers, Vierians, and Funfers, as well as his two concubines, Tass Tod and Yevra. Ahsoka's sneer only deepens as she beholds the two concubines. Unlike many female slaves her destiny, or fate, does not lie in the bedchamber, or on the stage. She will not limit herself like they have done, be satisfied with mere sexual gratification and the safety that can come from leaning on the arms of a strong partner. No, her ambitions rise far higher, but for the moment she steps back and lets Karren handle Bekriegen. Though Ahsoka gave a good account of herself in the Aetherverse, in this world she is much more limited in what she can do. _'At least until I touch them.'_ Ahsoka reflects as the two Sechsians posture for dominance.

It is Bekriegen who speaks first. "So Karren, I see you have finally taken a plaything from the dancers. Though I imagine she is a bit young right now, she will serve you well in the bed when she fully matures." He turns his gaze from Karren to study the Tortuga hanging behind his most persistent enemy. He pauses, something trying to surface in his mind, though for the life of him he cannot think of what it is. All he knows is that the Tortuga seems familiar.

Karren senses her block on his memories being challenged, so she inserts a rather explosive comment. "I have not take a lover Bekriegen. I am still loyal to my husband, and shall be celibate until the time when I am reunited with him. We can't all be like you, be so undiscriminating in the bedchambers. There aren't enough corpses to go around." Karren made no effort to soften her voice and as such the few slaves who weren't paying attention to them before stop what they are doing and stare in horror as Karren. It was a very well known fact, though one that was never spoken of where Bekriegen or his allies could hear, that Bekriegen's sexual appetite was so insatiable, that his desire to dominate his opponents so great that he would often rape them before his death matches, and after as well… The only reason that Bekriegen could get away with it was because he was just so powerful. No one could destroy him, and thus it remained a very open secret that no one, not even Avarus, commented on. Until now. Conversation below the two Sechsians explodes as bets fly back and forth over who is about to die. For his part Zulor is impressed. Not even he would dare bring up that subject, let alone through it in Bekriegen's face. But what was even more astonishing was what happened next.

Bekriegen, who for years was the Emperor of Destruction, the undisputed leader of the gladiators, had just been challenged, mocked. Rage igniting, he draws his blade and sprits forward, raising the blade to deliver a powerful downward slash. Karren meets him halfway, swinging her blade up. The force of the two blades meeting cause the catwalk to shutter, the middle where the two Sechsians stand starting to sag. Before any more blows can be traded Avarus' security forces flood the area, but Zulor and his part are already gone…

Zulor

"Hahahahah! AHHHAHHHAAH!" Zulor's maniacal laugher is heard down the hallway as he leads his squad away from the dinning hall, back to their quarters. All around him palace slaves leap out of his way as he strides forward, the terror evident in their eyes. "That was perfect! PERFECT! AHHH! Did you see that? Did you see it?" Zulor continues giggling, dreams long suppressed coming back to the front of his mind with the force of an anti-matter explosion.

The Zweians, who live only because Zulor leads them, glance amongst each other. They all know that Lord Zulor has not been stable since the death of his mate, but they fear he has finally been pushed over the edge. If that is the case, then death will embrace them all soon. The braver of the bunch, quietly speaks up. "Lord Zulor, what are you talking about?"

The idiotic question causes Zulor to stop in his tracks, forcing the lesser Zweians adjust their paths so they don't collide with him. Turning to them, Zulor glares, all humor drained from his face. "Of course, I was a fool to think you weaklings could actually see it. Force, why am I cursed with leading insects!" He shouts at the ceiling, ignoring the annoyed expression of his squad. Turning his attention back to them he condescends to explain. "Bekriegen hesitated when attacking. He actually flinched! Do you know what this means?" He does not wait for them to answer. "Bekriegen is mortally injured! Someone, somehow, managed to hurt the Emperor of Destruction! If Karren and him did get into a real fight she would kill him! That means the entire social order of the gladiators is about to coming crumbling down. Bekriegen is the one who keeps all the lesser gladiators in line. Whoever kills him now will become the new Emperor of Destruction! This is the chance I have been waiting for! And once I bend that Tortuga to my will I will be unstoppable." He pauses to look over his warriors, then gives a disgusted snort. "She is a warrior, unlike you all." With that said Zulor turns away from his squad and begins to plan how to break the Tortuga. _'A being who resisted Demagol will be invaluable.'_

**Karren's Quarters**

The whole ruckus created by her brief fight with Bekriegen had been pretty simple to get out of. All Karren needed to do was pay a few thousand credits to Avarus and his cronies and she got off with only a slap on the writs. Ahsoka meanwhile had used the time in solitary confinement to finish setting up her trap for Zulor. She knew she needed his help, but she knew any alliance between them must be based on her being the Lady and him being the Knight. It could work out no other way. As such Ahsoka had to go back to the Aetherverse to do some additional research and set up the trap there. The funny thing about Ysalamiri fields is that they only prevent Aether from leaving a person's Aether field. They don't actually destroy Aether. That means the Aether still can be used, just not as widely as it can be outside the field. And since the Ysalamiri don't destroy Aether the path to the Aetherverse remains open…

After Karren had secured their release they had been escorted to her quarters by a set of grim faced guards. Once they had departed Ahsoka stripped of her clothes, and stepped into the shower. She spent the next thirty minutes cleaning herself, washing as she best she can the stink of Demagol from her body. After she is finished she finds a set of dark robes hanging up in the bathroom. Placing them over herself, Ahsoka exits the bathroom, returning to the living room. Unlike the other Sechsian, Karren's living quarters is spartan. There are only a few comforts, such as set of plush beds. The rest is hard stone. Karren herself is lying on the floor, playing with small object. Before Ahsoka can discern what it is, Karren withdraws it from her view.

"So, you are heading out. What time can I expect you back?" Karren asks her apprentice idly, her eyes closed, seeing things that only the Force knew.

Ahsoka flips the cowl over head, casting her face in shadows. "As soon as I either break Zulor or am his servant." Ahsoka responds matter-of-factly.

Karren snorts, but makes no move to stop her. "I will not interfere in this. This is a battle you are bringing on yourself. If you lose the Force will not rescue you." Ahsoka starts to say something, but the little wisdom she possesses causes her to hold her tongue. Without another word, Ahsoka departs. In the empty room Karren mutters, "E pluribus unum. The Will of the Holy Force be done."

**Corridor just outside of Zulor's room**

Ahsoka did not need long to find one of the Zweians that had latched on to Zulor. She needed even less time to bend that pathetic mortal to her will. **{Ahsoka Tano commands you, take me to Zulor Dorei. If we come across any of your fellow compatriots you will subdue them until I have made them like you. After you take me to Zulor you will follow my ever order.}** Ahsoka stares into the Zweian's eye while at the same time grasping his arm. During her time in Demagol's control, Ahsoka absorbed many useful abilities, abilities that she can now utilize since she has the ability to bypass the Ysalamiri. For now though she must contend with overpowering the sentients she wants to control by touch. As soon as she leaves the Field though…

"Yes, my Lady." The Zweian, who is so insignificant that Ahsoka had not bothered to learn his name when she had bent him to her will, replies. Releasing him, Ahsoka follows the Zweian, subduing two more before she reaches the door. Turning to her three slaves, her right eye begins to glow. **{Stand guard here. Obey whoever I say to obey when I command.}**

The three slaves bow as one. "Yes, my Lady." With that taken care of, Ahsoka steels herself. This coming battle will determine her future. She had seen such power in Zulor Dorei in the Aetherverse, such anger. If she can win his loyalty then she will have taken a large step toward her ultimate goal. Of course, if she is honest with herself, she could be walking to her doom, or her own enslavement to him. He is not an opponent to underestimate.

Breathing in, Ahsoka opens the door to his room. She spots him immediately, standing on the other side of the room from her. His voluminous cape drapes down from his shoulders, and his twin long swords are drawn. Turning to face her, Ahsoka sees that Zulor's eyes are as golden as hers. "One shall stand, one shall serve." Zulor pronounces before swinging the swords into a battle position.

Ashoka smirks, all fear gone now that the time is upon her. "From Many, One. I will have your loyalty and service Zulor Dorei. And with it, I shall become the most powerful being in this universe." Her smirk turns into a maniacal grin, everything about the girl she once was now turned to ash. Ahsoka Tano, the Padawan of Plo Koon, is gone, save for small traces. The new Ahsoka Tano stands at a crossroads. One path leads to glory, the other to damnation. The time of choosing is now.

Zulor smiles, tensing his muscles. "I could serve you," He mutters before launching himself at Ahsoka, "but you must defeat me first!" He finishes. Ahsoka makes no reply, at least no verbal one. Reaching into her robes, she takes out a dagger. Positioning it in a defensive position, she braces herself for the inevitable pain.

_'Zulor Dorei, you will be mine.'

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**Author's Note:**

** Ahsoka takes her first big step from the person she used to be. Right now she is evil. The problem is that she has discovered someone else who has the potential to surpass her. She needs to deal with the problem, but instead of killing Zulor, she decides to make him her Knight. Will this work or will Zulor defeat Ahsoka? Find out next time in ****E Pluribus Unum****. **

**Reply to Reviewers**

**Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay: There will be a happy ending for Ahsoka, but it is not going to be easy. As I revealed in this chapter, Demagol simulated feeding her through a wood chipper. That is probably the most painful thing he did to her, but it sure isn't the only thing. She has a lot of pain, and a lot of issues to deal with. It is going to take some time. I am not entirely sure what you mean by the last question. Each arc is going to be a separate entity from the previous one. I will let you know when we cross archs, and if I add any more chapters to a arch.**

**god of all: Thank you. I hope you enjoy this one. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, not Karren or any of the Star Wars guys. Only my OCs. **


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